Swimming Places
Before the building of the Anderson Swimming Pool in 1953, There were several places for people of Pacolet to swim. The main ones are described below.
The Pacolet River - Many boys and men swam in the river. A popular spot was at the "Big Rock" in the company pasture. Swimming in the river was dangerous. It was deep in places with some strong currents. The water was muddy and there was almost no visibility. Over the years, there were several drownings.
Pacolet River - by Jim CodyThicketty Creek - This stream, in Cherokee County was used by many to swim in. It was much smaller and shallower than the Pacolet River and not nearly as dangerous. One particularly popular place was beside the old bridge where Burnt Gin Road (State Road S-11-72) crosses Thicketty today.
The Creek at Spakes Store - This spot has already been described on the page about Brown's Branch. This creek that ran into Brown's branch was tiny but had been dammed to provide a fairly large pool to swim in.
Duck Ponds - There were two of these ponds that were used to provide water for fire fighting for the village. One was at the top of Hotel Hill, just below the school. This is shown in the photo below. The other was close to the intersection of Quarry St. and Brewster Street, not too far from the Ball Park. I don't think that people were supposed to swim in these ponds but some did. I believe there was a drowning in the pond next to the school in the early 1940's.
Old Quarry - When work in the the old quarry was stopped, it filled up with water. It became a place for folks to swim. It was the site of a multiple drowning in the 1930's.
Rainbow Lake - This lake was located about 10 miles north of Spartanburg near Boiling Springs. It had been built as a drinking water reservoir for Spartanburg during the Depression. Unlike the places described before, Rainbow Lake had lifeguards and a designated swimming area. It was a very popular place for groups to picnic and swim. The lake was closed to swimming in the late 1960's. Many folks from Pacolet used the lake when it was open.
Cleveland Park - This was a popular swimming pool in the city of Spartanburg. It was closer to Pacolet than Rainbow Lake and more convenient for swimmers.
Croft State Park - This was the most popular swimming pool for Pacolet people before the Anderson Pool was built. This large pool was built in part of the former Camp Croft and was only about 6 or 7 miles from Pacolet.
YMCA - The Spartanburg YMCA had an inside pool where swimming lessons for boys were taught and was sometimes could be used for recreational swimming. The unusual feature about the YMCA pool was that you had to swim in the nude. Even during swimming lessons, swim suits were not allowed. The pool supposedly was heated but it did not feel that way.
This web site has been started as a public service to share the story of Pacolet.
