Greenville County · Marker 23-49
Old Stage Road
City Common, SE Main St., Simpsonville
Front inscription
The town of Simpsonville grew up around a stagecoach stop nearby operated by Thomas Goldsmith (1788-1868). Goldsmith’s house, on the Old Stage Road from Laurens to Greenville, was near a crossroads where the Old Stage Road met an old Cherokee trail, later known as the Georgia Road. The road was the main route through this area ca. 1820-ca. 1870. The railroad arrived in 1885-86 when the Greenville & Laurens Railroad completed its line through the town.
Railroads in Simpsonville
Main Street was laid out parallel to the tracks, and the railroad ushered in a period of rapid growth and prosperity. The G&L RR and its successor the Port Royal & Western Carolina Railway were absorbed by the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway in 1896. The Atlantic Coast Line RR took control of the C&WC in 1897 and operated it until 1959. The first passenger and freight depot here was demolished in the 1970s.