GHS-Swamp-Rabbit-Trail-History

By Sandra E. Yúdice
Assistant to the County Administrator
County of Greenville, SC
May 2012
Revised July 2014
Revised December 2014
The Swamp Rabbit Trail
A Tale of More Than 125 Years
Spanning Over Three Centuries

On May 12, 1979, the G&N office building stood in downtown Greenville, close to the Academy Street bridge. The
office building was sold to a private individual who converted it into a residence. Photos courtesy of James D.
Sheppard.

Table of Contents
Where is the Swamp Rabbit Trail Hopping?..................................................................................................................1
Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................2
The 19
th
Century: The Mid and Late 1800s....................................................................................................................2
The Gestational Years: 1845-1887........................................................................................................................2
The Birth: 1888 .....................................................................................................................................................3
Developing During Childhood Years: The 1890s...................................................................................................3
The 20
th
Century: The 1900s..........................................................................................................................................3
Growing Pains of the Teenage Years: The 1900 and 1910 Decades .....................................................................3
The Young Adult Years: Defining Its Identity from the 1920s to the 1940s..........................................................4
Reaching Adulthood and Beginning to Decline: The 1950s and 1960s.................................................................4
Ready for Retirement? The Senior Years, the 1970s and 1980s...........................................................................5
Will It Really Ever Retire? The 1990s ....................................................................................................................5
The 21
st
Century ............................................................................................................................................................6
Retirement Is Not Quite There Yet: The 2000s.....................................................................................................6
And They All Lived Happily Ever After: The 2010s and Beyond ............................................................................7
Was it Worth Waiting More than 125 Years? Was the Investment Worthy? The Furman University Swamp
Rabbit Trail Impact Study......................................................................................................................................9
Furman University’s Impact Studies .....................................................................................................................9
The Relationship Will Continue.............................................................................................................................9
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................................................10

The Swamp Rabbit Trail A Tale of
More Than 125 Years Spanning Over Three Centuries
Office of the Administrator
Joseph M. Kernell
County Administrator
(864) 467-7105
www.greenvillecounty.org
December 2014
Dear Greenville County Residents and Visitors:
It is with great pleasure that we present to you the history and tales of one of Greenville County’s
greatest assets, the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail (GHS-SRT). What you are about to
read is a story highlighting major details of the struggles and successes of the Swamp Rabbit in many
of its phases: as a concept, as an active and inactive railroad, as a dormant asset, as a transformative
figure, and as an economic development and tourism injecting destination.
As you will read in the pages ahead, you will find that during the mid-1840s, prominent Greenvillian
men gathered to examine and discuss “a report of ‘the practicability and expediency of constructing a
railway from this place (Greenville) to pass through the state to one of the upper terminals of the
Charleston Railroad…” Those prominent Greenvillians had no idea about the long term effects of their
actions, decisions, and the unintended consequences that such decisions would have in the future of
Greenville County. Because of theirs and others’ perseverance, determination, and diligence,
Greenville County now has this great asset that residents and visitors have enjoyed and will enjoy for
decades to come.
Current efforts are leading towards extending and expanding the Swamp Rabbit Trail from north to
south and from west to east. Under the County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
leadership, plans are to extend the trail to the North Carolina border and to the Laurens County
border to the south. Schools and communities want to be connected to the trail also; therefore,
efforts are also leading to expanding the trail to those places west to east. One example is the
connectivity that is being considered between the trail and the revitalized Poinsett District.
We welcome additional tales on the Swamp Rabbit, if you have one. If you would like to share them
with us please do not hesitate to contact Assistant to the County Administrator Sandra Yúdice at
syudice@greenvillecounty.org. We will include them gladly in The Swamp Rabbit Trail: A Tale of More
Than 125 Years Spanning Over Three Centuries for future generations to learn about it.
I hope you enjoy these tales!
Sincerely,
Joseph M. Kernell
County Administrator

1
Where is the Swamp Rabbit Trail Hopping?

2
Introduction
The history of the Greenville and Northern Railway (G&NR),
locally known as the Swamp Rabbit, is one filled of financial
struggles from the onset of the railway in the late 1880s. At
that time, no one knew what its fate would be more than 100
years later let alone that it would bring a community together
in the 21
st
Century. In 1984, Craig A. Myers published A Short
History – The Greenville and Northern Railway, 1887-1984 and
wrote, “The Greenville and Northern’s future remains clouded,
but the proper guidance and expansion, it could survive.”
Robert N. Daniel, in Mann Batson’s book written in 2010,
noted,
Looking backwards across the years, we think of
our little railroad, the Swamp Rabbit, with a smile
for its ambition to cross the big mountains. But the
sober fact is that Greenville (we) lost
tremendously because of that failure. Who knows
what great commercial opportunities would have
opened up if a good track could have been
completed and connections been made between
Greenville and the boundless west? (p. 184)
In July 1999 prior to RailTex of San Antonio, TX, completing
abandonment procedures, with proper guidance, vision from
community leaders, political will, and determination,
Greenville County Council, under the leadership of the late
Council Chairman Dozier Brooks, created the Greenville
County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) to
acquire the right-of-way enabling its survival “[t]o facilitate,
through rail line ownership and/or rail corridor preservation,
intermodal, business commuter, shipping, and leisure traveler
access to Greater Greenville and its gateways….” (Greenville
County Economic Development Corporation, 2000). Members
of the first GCEDC board of directors included councilors
Dozier Brooks, Stephen Selby, and Paul Wickensimer and two
at-large community members Patricia Haskell-Robinson and
Peter Strub. The board appointed former County
Administrator Gerald Seals as President and Chairman of the
board.
Thus far, the Swamp Rabbit has beaten all the odds that tested
its quiet and sometimes not so quiet presence—i.e., financial,
reorganizations, legal battles, and court orders to be shut
down—in the Greenville community over 125 years. There
may not be the little Swamp Rabbit train anymore going up
and down between Travelers Rest and Greenville but its legacy
will remain alive and well into the 21
st
Century and, hopefully,
beyond with great opportunities for local businesses and the
local economy along the Swamp Rabbit Trail to thrive. Former
Travelers Rest Mayor Mann Batson (2010) wrote,
The [125+ years and counting] gestation period
has been lengthy. Delivery is ongoing. But the due
date for the Greenville Hospital System Swamp
Rabbit Trail is set for the May 7-9 weekend [2009].
When the baby finally arrives, it will be a joyous
day, but like a real child the ten mile trail from
Travelers Rest to Greenville city limits is just the
beginning. Nurturing this child and watching it
grow is next on the agenda.” (p. 185)
And right he was! Who knew 125 years ago that the Swamp
Rabbit would now be—as it quietly lies down traversing
Greenville County from north to south—an invaluable asset to
the community that is being nurtured and taken care of in the
21
st
Century? Public officials and community leaders assisted
with transforming its identity and destiny and now the GHS-
SRT has brought revitalization to the communities along its
path both in terms of their economy and health. As the saying
goes, “Things happen for a reason.” We may not understand
why they happen when they happen—chartering a railroad in
the 1800s that was destined to be in so much trouble for so
long—but fast forwarding to the present and looking back at
the past, we now understand why they happened more than a
century ago.
The 19th Century: The Mid and Late 1800s
The Gestational Years: 1845-1887
During the mid-1840s, prominent Greenvillian men gathered
to examine and discuss “a report of ‘the practicability and
expediency of constructing a railway from this place
(Greenville) to pass through the state to one of the upper
terminals of the Charleston Railroad, and collect such
information as citizens decide thereon” (Batson, 2010). Many
were the letters sent to the Editor of the Enterprise and
Mountaineer newspaper supporting the construction of the
railroad in the upper part of Greenville County. One letter
read,
Much enthusiasm exists in [sic] behalf of the
contemplated railroad across the mountains.
Many have already laid out the locations, with
depots, etc. and we have no doubt about scaling
the mountains at a grade that will astonish the
engineers themselves. ‘Let her roll,’ is the cry on
every hand. Travelers Rest, S. C. 2-4-1884 Felix EM,
2-6-1884

3
Pseudonym (Batson, 2010, p. 13)
In March 1884, representatives from the towns of Bates,
Cleveland, Saluda, Paris Mountain, Glassy Mountain, Chick
Springs, Highland, and O’Neal held public meetings at Marietta
in February and at Tigerville. The conclusion at the meeting in
February was that, “The people present on this occasion are of
one mind in their desire to have a railroad constructed over
the mountains and express themselves freely and even
enthusiastically in advocacy of the measure” (Batson, 2010).
One of those present was Capt. L. I. Jennings who “worked
tirelessly to bring a railroad through the upper part of
Greenville County…” (Batson, 2010, p. 73).
Prior to the actual construction of the railroad bed, two were
the companies chartered with its construction which would
run between Augusta, GA, and Knoxville, TN. They included
the Greenville & Port Royal Company (1882-1885) and the
Atlantic, Greenville & Western Railway Company (1885-1887).
The former was unable to raise much needed capital funds to
build it resulting in the company’s reorganization. The latter
one was commissioned to build the line from Greenville going
east to the Atlantic and west to the North Carolina state line
connecting it with rail lines going to Tennessee. Circumstances
at the time required both companies to merge and, in 1887,
the Carolina, Knoxville & Western Railway Company (CK&W)
was formed (Myers, 1984; Rooney & Wade, 1977; Runey,
1949; Sheppard, 2006).
The Birth: 1888
The CK&W was chartered to build the railroad connecting
Augusta, GA, and Knoxville, TN, and the newly created
company proposed to build a 282-mile track. A telegram sent
in 1888 to the Knoxville Tribune on the proposed $200,000
subscription to fund the construction of the railroad read,
“To the Knoxville Tribune:
Greenville, S. C., Dec. 28, The City of Greenville
Today voted for the Carolina, Knoxville, and Western
Proposition by 2,300 majority.
The County is safe by 2,000.”
EM, 1-11-1888 (Batson, 2010, p. 25)
After raising the capital needed, construction began in 1888
and a 12-mile rail line was built between Greenville, SC, and
Hellams Crossing just north of Travelers Rest, SC. Operations
started in 1889 (Batson, 2010).
Developing During Childhood Years: The 1890s
In 1891, just two short years after the railroad began
operating, the CK&W Railroad Company bankrupted. The
court appointed H. C. Beattie as the receiver. The sentiment at
the time was that if the rail ended in a township, its financial
situation would improve. Therefore, the receiver was
authorized extending the railroad to Marietta, SC. In 1892, the
railroad extended for about 15 miles from Greenville to
Marietta but it continued suffering from revenue losses
(Myers, 1984; Sheppard, 2006).
In August 1896, the railroad was sold and the new owners
applied to stop service and prepared to sell the railroad.
However, resilient local residents protested and took the
matter to the courts filing an injunction to remove the tracks.
In 1899, the court ordered to remove the rails and removal
work begun from Marietta to Union Bleachery (Sheppard,
2006). The rails and other equipment and real state were sold
to Charleston and Western Carolina Railway for $28,000
(Myers, 1984; Batson, 2010).
The 20th Century: The 1900s
Growing Pains of the Teenage Years: The 1900
and 1910 Decades
In 1904, the railroad resurrected as the Greenville and
Knoxville Railway restoring service to Marietta in 1906. The
railroad reached River Falls (formerly Pott’s Cove) in 1910
(Rooney & Wade, 1977; Myers, 1984; Batson, 2010) reaching
its northernmost part for a total of 23.1 miles (Sheppard,
2006).
By May 1912, the Greenville and Knoxville Railway had 13
stations along its path. The stations included Greenville,
Monaghan, White Oak, Montague, Altamont, Travelers Rest,
Phillips, Hellams, Bates, Marietta, Cleveland, River View, and
River Falls (Batson, 2010). Passengers took the Swamp Rabbit
to River Falls and stayed at the Valley View Hotel and “resort
area for rest, relaxation, and entertainment. They swam in the
Middle Saluda River, hike, hunt and went to Caesar’s Head for
the dances and other activities” (Batson, 2010, p. 90).
The railroad went under several receiverships and later
became the Greenville & Western Railway in 1914. In 1916,
the G&W, under the name of the “Blue Ridge Mountain
Route” ran daily, with the exception of Sundays, with two
passenger trains and one train from Greenville to River Falls on
Sundays (Sheppard, 2006).
Changing names did not help the railroad since, in 1917, was
put in receivership again due the bad conditions of the rail bed
“that life and property would be jeopardized if trains were run
and the cost of repairs was not available. Judge Johnson
authorized the receiver to discontinue the operation of the
trains” (Batson, 2010, p. 46).
Between 1917 and 1919, law suits were filed in courts who
ordered to resume operations and to shut the railroad again.
In May 1919, R. A. McTyre purchased the rail for $75,000 just

4
to sell it again in August 1919 to W. H. Cook of Duluth, MN,
(Batson, 2010; Sheppard, 2006).
The Swamp Rabbit became a movie star in 1917 when it was
feature in a movie filmed in Travelers Rest. The movie was
based “on the life of Sidney Allen, a Tennessee folk hero who
had gotten on the wrong side of the law and was rescued by
his family from a trial in a Tennessee court house” (Batson,
2010, p. 140).
The Young Adult Years: Defining Its Identity
from the 1920s to the 1940s
In January 1920, the Baker Fentress Company—a timber
business from Chicago—purchased the railroad, eliminated
the passenger trains, and for 37 years operated it thru a
lumber company subsidiary (Saluda Land and Lumber)
shipping its product to Greenville for distribution (Sheppard,
2006). The railroad became a subsidiary under the Greenville
& Northern Railway (G&NR). For a short period of time the
G&NR operated passenger excursions on weekends and, until
the 1950s, it provided mail
and express services (Batson,
2010). There are references of
the railroad being called the
“Swamp Rabbit” as early as
1891 but no references as to
who named it (Batson, 2010).
The 1930s, presented
challenges to the railroad
again as the financial crisis of
the Great Depression
developed and set in.
However, it again thrived
during the years after the
Great Depression.
In the 1940s, the short-line had already defined its identity
and was recognized as,
“…one of the South’s quaintest and friendliest
short-lines. Around the city of Greenville and all
along its crooked and grassy right-of-way, the
Greenville & Northern Railway Company is known
always, and with affection, as the Swamp Rabbit—
the “l’il ole train that runs up to Cleveland. Hardly
anybody recognized it by its dignified and rather
austere corporate designation. But everyone knew
the little train and many, especially the old folks,
obviously loved it. …the reason the line is known
as the Swamp Rabbit [is because] [f]or four or five
miles out of town, G&NR tracks are laid along a
marshy flat that is incredibly desolate, full of reed
and cattails.” (Runey, 1949)
By 1943, the line had been reduced to 19 miles from
Greenville to Cleveland (Sheppard, 2006). In 1948, Saluda
Land and Lumber sold the mill to Georgia Pacific. Georgia
Pacific continued the lumber shipping business using the
G&NR. The G&NR locomotives were steam powered until
August 14, 1948, when the railroad purchased its first diesel-
electric locomotive built by General Electric (Sheppard, 2006).
Reaching Adulthood and Beginning to Decline:
The 1950s and 1960s
In 1952, G&NR’s owner, Saluda Land & Lumber Company,
dissolved but the railroad remained as an affiliate of Baker,
Fentress & Company (Sheppard, 2006). By the mid-1950s, the
rail line began suffering financial loses one more time. In 1957,
short line entrepreneur Samuel M. Pensley of Boston, MA,
purchased the line, began building warehouses, and
modernized the railroad and its facilities (Myers, 1984; Batson,
2010). The G&NR then
became a subsidiary of Pinsly
Railroad Company (Williams,
2005). By the end of the
1950s, the railroad announced
the formation of the Berea
District Industrial Park bringing
financial success and stability
until the mid-1960s (Myers,
1984).
As new businesses opened
along the G&NR line, old
customers also shut down
operations and moved away
from the railway making the
railroad unsustainable. In
1961, the Georgia Pacific lumber business closed in Cleveland,
SC, and a four-mile stretch of railroad in the upper side of the
line was abandoned in 1963. This closing left only two
products using the railroad service, natural gas and waste
fiberglass rags (Myers, 1984).
In the mid-1960s, Slater Mill built a natural gas pipeline taking
away business from the railroad. Carloads were severely cut
to six by 1965. In the late 1960s, in an effort to revive the
railroad, a group of businessmen operated the Swamp Rabbit
tourist railroad between Marietta and Cleveland, SC (Myers,
1984). In 1964, a group of investors purchased the 4-mile
track between Marietta and Cleveland and ran a tourist train
for four years, the destination was Echo Valley Park in
Cleveland (Sheppard, 2006).
G&NR steam locomotive No. 15 (2-8-0) was in
Greenville in November 1941. Photo courtesy of James
D. Sheppard.

5
Ready for Retirement?
The Senior Years, the
1970s and 1980s
By 1970, rail traffic stopped
completely from the Slater
Mill and the railroad was
abandoned between
Cleveland and Travelers Rest
(Ruthven, 2007; Taylor, 2012)
making the latter the railroad
northern terminus (Sheppard,
2006). For the most part,
from the 1950s to the 1970s,
the railroad was under
financial stress 50% of the
time. During the 1980s, the
railroad traffic moved mostly
waste and scrap from the
Berea Industrial Park
businesses and railroad customers (Myers, 1984) and the last
train ran in January 1998 due to the condemnation of two
trestles (Sheppard, 2006).
Will It Really Ever Retire? The 1990s
In May 1997, the Surface Transportation Board (STB)
authorized the purchase of the line by the South Carolina
Central Railroad Inc. (d/b/a Carolina Piedmont Division or
CPDR), a subsidiary of RailTex of San Antonio, TX (Sheppard,
2006; Williams, 2005). CPDR purchased approximately 11.8
miles of track and assets from the Greenville and Northern
Railway (RailTex, Inc., 1997). Service on the rail line stopped in
January 1998 and never resumed (Sheppard, 2006).
Within less than one year of the purchase, RailTex began
abandonment proceedings with the STB for two segments in
Greenville County. The segments included the G&NR (the
“northern segment”) and a 3.29 mile railroad segment (the
“CPDR or southern segment”) running between Highway 291
(Pleasantburg Drive) and what is now the Clemson University
International Center of the
Automotive Research (CU-
ICAR) at the Millennium
Campus just north of the
General Electric track spur in
the southeastern part of the
City of Greenville, SC
(Williams, 1997; Williams,
1998a). According to RailTex
there were no rail shippers on
the northern line and, “prior
to 1993, the northern segment
was used by G&NR solely for
movements of rail equipment
to and from repair and storage
facilities near milepost 0.0”
(Williams, 1998b). CPDR
purchased the southern
segment in 1990 and, by 1992,
according to CPDR there was
only one shipper on the line
who used motor freight 95%
of the time to meet its needs
(Williams, 1998b).
In early 1999, concerned
citizens approached Greenville
County Council requesting
assistance and proposing
alternatives to the disposition
of the rail lines. Greenville
County Council had the
forward thinking of forming
the Greenville County
Economic Development
Corporation (GCEDC) to
purchase the soon-to-be-
abandoned railroad rights-of-way from RailTex at a cost of
$1.3 million, including the entire northern segment from
Downtown Greenville to north of Travelers Rest and the 3.29-
miles southern segment. The South Carolina Department of
Transportation contributed $100,000 with a grant towards the
purchase of the lines. The mission of the GCEDC is:
To facilitate, through rail line ownership and/or rail
corridor preservation, intermodal, business
commuter, shipping, and leisure traveler access to
Greater Greenville and its gateways. Our highest
priorities, in carrying out this mission, are safety,
citizenship, responsibility, and cost effectiveness.
Usually, retirement means a phase in life to slow down and
enjoy the pleasures that it brings. However, the Swamp
Rabbit, as resilient as it has been for over a century, did not
slow down and was very busy generating and growing
offsprings to become what it is today, a trail that is a
destination point which is recognized locally, regionally, and
nationally. The Swamp Rabbit
Trail has also made the
communities it traverses, such
as Travelers Rest and
Greenville, destination points.
Additionally, the 3.29-mile
southern rail line will also
prove to be an asset to the
community later on.
Currently, there are
discussions and efforts in the
community to use the right-of-
way as a multimodal corridor
facility that could include a
recreation trail, a bus rapid
transit, personal rapid transit,
A postcard titled “Swamp Rabbit Railroad at Echo
Valley, Cleveland, S.C. on U.S. No. 276, 16 Miles North
of Greenville, So. Carolina: Swamp Rabbit Railroad
pulling out of the station for a round trip of
approximately 9 miles between Echo Valley and
Marietta. Passengers enjoy superb mountain scenery,
a real steam train ride. Color photo by C.H. Ruth.”
Photo courtesy of James D. Sheppard.
Industrial Metal Processing, Inc.’s locomotive No. 63, is
at the plant at Berea, on April 25, 1989. Photo
courtesy of James D. Sheppard.

6
and stations along the way.
The 21st Century
Retirement Is Not Quite There Yet: The 2000s
Since the purchase, a series of setbacks —including lack of
funds and a law suit from a businessman who wanted rail
service restored on the G&NR line— precluded the GCEDC
from fulfilling its mission until the law suit was dismissed in
2004 (Williams, 2005). For many years, critics of the
purchasing decision looked at it as a waste of taxpayers’ funds.
However, time showed that the decision, as bold as it was in
1999, was a wise one just like the one made in the 1880s. The
conversion of the right-of-way into a trail has proven to be an
asset for the community as the Furman University economic
impact studies later demonstrate (Reed, 2012; Reed, 2013).
The mid-2000s were busy years for the rail lines. In
September 2004, the court dismissed the law suit and ordered
the GCEDC to just pay the plaintiff’s legal fees. In spring 2005,
Greenville County Detention Center’s inmates and volunteers
under the leadership of Judy Cromwell and Carlton Owen
cleared the railroad right-of-way from Travelers to Greenville.
In June 2005, the GCEDC filed a petition with the STB
requesting approval to rail bank the lines: abandon the 11.8-
miles segment between Downtown Greenville and north of
Travelers Rest and discontinue service on the 3.29-miles
segment between southeast Greenville and the CU-ICAR at the
Millennium Campus.
In October 2005, the STB, under a notice of interim trail use
(NITU), granted the abandonment and discontinuance
petitions under the Rails to Trails Act. The NITU authorized
the GCEDC to negotiate, within a period of 180 days, an
agreement with Upstate Forever for interim trail use on the
11.8-miles segment.
In February 2006, in response to Western Carolina Railway
Service Corporation’s (WCRSC) offer of financial assistance
(OFA) filed with the STB, the GCEDC Chairman Herman “Butch”
Kirven indicated to the WCRSC that its “offer of approximately
$46,000 is far too low. Based on our own recent appraisals of
the real estate and non-real estate assets on the northern line,
GCEDC believes that the purchase price should not be less
than $1,133,769…GCEDC has an obligation to the public to
accept only a full market value price for the northern line”
(Kirven, 2006).
In September 2006, Upstate Forever requested the STB to
vacate the existing NITU and to issue one to the Greenville
County Recreation District (GCRD), which the STB approved
(Williams, 2006). In September 2006, the GCEDC and the GCRD
entered into a lease donation and operating agreement on the
11.8-miles right-of-way with the purpose of developing,
maintaining and operating the trail.
Salvaging the rails began in 2007. Proceeds from the rail
salvaging assisted the GCEDC with paying legal fees to defend
the law suit that was dismissed in 2004, pay the settlement,
and the STB proceeding charges. Once the salvage project was
complete, the Swamp Rabbit Trail was born and ready to go
thru a transformation for the next few years until its official
opening in May 2009.
G&NR tracks at Travelers Rest, SC, are being pulled up
on April 21, 2007, in preparation for the construction of
the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Photo courtesy of James D.
Sheppard.

7
In the spring 2007, Upstate Forever facilitated the Swamp
Rabbit Forums with public meetings at Furman University and
Downtown Greenville. The goal was to develop aesthetic and
trail designs, a mission statement, and make
recommendations to name the trail based on the community’s
input. Community leaders from several public, private, and
non-profit organizations participated in the forums including
municipalities, Clemson University, local chambers of
commerce, GCEDC, Greenville County, GC Emergency
Management, law enforcement agencies, GC School District,
GCRD, GC Sheriff’s Office, GC Planning Commission and others.
Realizing the transformative change the Swamp Rabbit Trail
would have on the Greenville community, the Greenville
Hospital System (GHS) –now the Greenville Health System--
also joined the efforts to develop the trail by promoting the
health and wellness benefits of the trail and encouraging
people to live active and healthy lifestyles by using it. In 2007,
GHS announced its commitment to sponsor the trail by
providing $100,000 each year for ten years to the GCRD to
assist with its development and marketing efforts (Houck,
2012), hence the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail name.
Officially, the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail debuted the weekend
of May 7-9, 2009, with its inaugural 5K Race with more than
2,000 people participating (Batson, 2010). Participation in the
now annual race grew to over 4,000 in 2012 with runners
coming from all over the Upstate SC, the Midlands SC, the
Grand Stand, and as far as Porter Ranch, California; Sherwood
Forest, Maryland; Marblehead, Massachusetts; and other
states (Carlson, 2012).
Under the leadership of the GCRD’s Director of Greenways and
Natural Historic Resources, Ty Houck, the SRT conquered new
territories. Plans are to extend and expand the Swamp Rabbit
Trail and “work with the municipalities to build a continuous
ribbon of trail that extends to the NC/SC boarder and into
Laurens County via downtown Fountain Inn” to the south
(Richardson, 2012). Currently, the GCRD is working with
property owners to extend the trail north of Travelers Rest to
the SC/NC border. It is worth noting that the North Carolina’s
Friends of Ecusta Trail group has advocated connecting the
future Ecusta Trail to the Swamp Rabbit Trail at some point in
the future at the states’ border.
With the purchase of the railroad right-of-way, an abandoned
rail car was also acquired on the G&NR. The car must have
been built around 1947 and operated by the Southern Railway
as some of its parts have that year and name printed.
Physically, the 65+ year-old railcar is in good conditions and
has been cleaned and painted thanks to the Leadership
Greenville Class 39. In the early 2000s, upon request from the
Whitewater Valley Railroad Museum, the GCEDC donated the
car to the museum for restoration. However, attempts to
dismantle and move the railcar from its location failed due to
the high cost of removing suspected asbestos and lead paint
from the car and transportation costs to the museum. The car
remained on the right-of-way—during the salvaging process—
but was moved to its present location along the Swamp Rabbit
Trail at the intersection of Sulphur Springs Road and Pinsley
Circle in the Berea area.
And They All Lived Happily Ever After: The
2010s and Beyond
In May 2010, the City of Greenville completed the Swamp
Rabbit Trail Connector at Willard Street. It consists of a 53’
long steel and timber bridge across the Reedy River that
connects the City of Greenville’s portion of the trail to the
original Swamp Rabbit Trail developed, built, and maintained
by the GCRD to the northwest of the city. The Swamp Rabbit
Trail is now 14 miles long, connecting Travelers Rest to
Downtown Greenville and south through Falls Park, Cleveland
Park to the Caine Halter Family YMCA and Greenville Technical
College (City of Greenville, 2012).
In May 2011, the GCEDC transferred the right-of-way where
the Swamp Rabbit Trail lays to Greenville County. The GC
Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department continues
operating and maintaining the trail. The trail’s fully developed
plans call for extending the Swamp Rabbit Trail from the
SC/NC border in north Greenville County all the way south to
the Greenville/Laurens county line running thru the Lake
Conestee Nature Park, the Golden Strip area, and Fountain
Inn.
On August 20, 2011, the City of Fountain Inn inaugurated the
Above: April 7, 1993, view looking east, the G&NR
engine house is in the distance. Bottom: April 26, 2007,
view looking east, paved trail leading past the former
engine house. Academy Street bridge in the
background. Photos courtesy of James D. Sheppard.

8
0.5 mile section of the Swamp
Rabbit Trail in the southern
part of the county. This
section of the SRT is
considered “the launching
point for the southern part of
the trail that will eventually
work its way through the
Golden Strip and connect to
the northern section of the
trail” (Greenville County
Recreation District, 2011).
Greenville County Parks,
Recreation, and Tourism
Department Director Gene
Smith said,
“…The popularity of the
Swamp Rabbit is proof
that people in our
community want safe walking and biking
paths. This is just the start of us being able to
provide this opportunity for more people as we
continue to implement the Greenville County
Greenway Master Plan of 2009” (Greenville County
Recreation District, 2011).
City of Fountain Inn Mayor Gary Long said,
We are confident that we will be able to work with
the other municipalities and county to get this trail
connected to the other parts of the Swamp Rabbit
Trail. I know the citizens of Fountain Inn are
looking forward to using this section of the trail as
a safe and convenient way to get around our
city. It will be exciting to watch the progress as we
work from the south to one day being able to walk
or ride our way to downtown Greenville and into
Travelers Rest. (Greenville County Recreation
District, 2011)
The work on the trail along Cleveland Street in the City of
Greenville at the Greenville Technical College, Barton Campus,
was noticeable in early 2012. Running along Cleveland Street
between South Pleasantburg Drive and Faris Road, the 0.8 trail
extension of the Swamp Rabbit opened on June 5, 2012, to the
public (Foley, 2012). This section of the Swamp Rabbit Trail
opened “as Greenville Tech turns fifty and represents the
same type of vision that allowed the state’s technical college
system to open in the sixties…’We are pleased to be part of
the Swamp Rabbit Trail system,’ said Dr. Keith Miller,
president of Greenville Tech. ‘We salute the visionaries who
now are transforming our community with this path to fitness
and fun’” (The Travelers Rest Tribune, 2012).
On September 5, 2012, Greenville County and GCRD officials
presented the All Aboard Railcar Restoration Project to the
Leadership Greenville Class 39 (LG 39). The group selected it as
one of its class project. The goal is to make the Sulphur Springs
Road, Pinsley Circle, and the
GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail
intersection a destination
point and the gateway to the
Berea community. LG 39
coordinated efforts with the
Planning Division’s
revitalization efforts in this
area of the Berea community
to create the Swamp Rabbit
Station in 2013-2014. LG 39
raised funds to restore the
railcar and convert the site
into a handicap accessible
pocket park with a food truck
parking area that will serve
trail users and Berea area
residents. Additionally, in
2013, local philanthropist
David Wilkerson donated to
Greenville County a mini-locomotive that will be placed in
front of the restored railcar. The mini-locomotive will be a
place for children to climb on and have fun. There are no
amenities such as the proposed restoration and conversion of
the railcar into a community pocket park along the GHS
Swamp Rabbit Trail in the Berea area. This project will be an
excellent addition to the trail because it would not only create
a place of pride for the Berea community but could potentially
spur further economic development opportunities. The
restoration project is considered a high impact project and
could be a catalyst for further improvements in that area and
along the GHS-SRT.
Also in 2013 and under the leadership of GCEDC’s Chairman
Fred Payne, discussions began to take shape to develop the
3.29-miles southern segment of the railroad between
Pleasantburg Drive and Middle Laurel Creek at CU-ICAR. The
GCEDC Board of Directors has discussed the potential of
connecting this segment to Mauldin, Simpsonville, and
Fountain Inn to Laurens County and Charleston, SC, via the
privately owned freight railroad right-of-way. Preliminary
discussions indicate that the segment could be converted into
a multi-modal transportation corridor that potentially could
include a trail, bus rapid transit, light rail, and/or personal
rapid transit systems. The GCEDC and Upstate Forever formed
a collaborative partnership that could include other
stakeholders such as the County and City of Greenville, local
foundations, and other public and private organizations. These
efforts are also leading to the recapturing of the abandoned
rail corridor between Pleasantburg Drive and the Laurens
Road/Washington Street intersection. Meetings have been
held with commercial property owners who are receptive to
the idea of developing the abandoned corridor into a trail to
connect the southern segment corridor to the Swamp Rabbit
Trail at Cleveland Park in the City of Greenville.
Eventually and with “proper guidance and expansion” (Myers,
1984), the Swamp Rabbit Trail will find its way from Fountain
In 2013, with the assistance of the Leadership
Greenville, Class 39, the section of the Swamp Rabbit
Trail on Pinsley Circle was converted to the Swamp
Rabbit Station at Berea.

9
Inn up north to connect with the existing trail in the City of
Greenville. All it needs to do is to captivate and enamor
communities and neighborhoods with its charming personality
to enter into a relationship. For new communities entering this
marriage, it would be a great deal as the initial couples,
namely Travelers Rest and the City of Greenville, would serve
as models to continue a long and lasting relationship with the
Swamp Rabbit Trail, hopefully, for centuries to come.
Was it Worth Waiting More than 125 Years? Was the Investment Worthy?
The Furman University Swamp Rabbit Trail Impact Study
Furman University’s Impact Studies
Furman University conducted a three year impact study of the
Swamp Rabbit Trail. The first study began in the summer of
2010 and has shown that “approximately 359,314 users would
be observed on the GHS SRT (based on daily observations for
Year 1” (Reed, 2012, p. v). The second year study results were
released in spring 2013 and showed an estimate of 403,323
people using the trail. The third study was conducted
between July 2012 and June 2013 and the results were
released in fall 2014. The third year study results indicate that
about 501,236 people used the
trail during that period (Reed,
2014).
On the trail’s impact on business,
the study results showed that, in
year one, most businesses had
“increases in sales/revenue
ranging from 30% to as high as
85%” and, in year two, businesses’
revenue increased “as high as
100%” (Reed, 2013, p. 39). In year
three, business owners reported
“increases in sales/revenue
ranging from 10% to as high as
85%” and “Seven new businesses
opened because of the trail”
(Reed, 2014, p. 45). Business
people have renovated derelict
buildings on properties adjacent to
the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail,
opened, and relocated so that trail
users have direct access to those
businesses from the trail.
The Relationship Will
Continue
The marriage between the Swamp
Rabbit Trail and the communities it
touches along its path will
continue producing offsprings as
spurs are built to connect
communities to the Swamp Rabbit
Trail. It is impressive the economic
development that the Swamp
Rabbit Trail has brought along its length from Travelers Rest to
Downtown Greenville. For example, bicycle shops have been
established as well as coffee and outdoor shops, inns, and
grocery stores. New housing developments are being
considered and/or underway along the trail’s path.
The Swamp Rabbit Trail is a high impact local success story
that is improving the communities it traverses from north to
south. The City of Travelers Rest has capitalized on the
portion of the trail that runs thru its rehabilitated and modern
downtown as it has become a well-used community asset and
a tourist destination point.
Café@William’s Hardware in
Travelers Rest has indicated that
70% of their business comes from
the trail on weekends. Bike shops
have seen a three-fold increase in
bike sales and trail-centered
businesses like Swamp Rabbit Café
and Grocery have occupied long
abandoned derelict warehouse
spaces. Bottlecap Creative House
is another success entrepreneurial
story and it is adjacent to the trail
in Travelers Rest. Bottlecap’s
partner Kevin Keigley noted, “If
you’re on the trail, you’re set up to
grow” (Davis, 2012).
The Swamp Rabbit married
Greenville County’s communities
more than a century ago and it is
here to stay via a recreational trail.
People will enjoy the GHS Swamp
Rabbit Trail and its offsprings for
many years to come as day or
weekend long activities are
programmed around the trail or
simply because they want to be
on, by, and/or a part of it. For
information on the various
activities programmed for your
enjoyment on the trail just go to
http://greenvillerec.com/swampra
bbit.
Transformation of the Swamp Rabbit

10
Bibliography
Batson, M. (2010). The Swamp Rabbit Legacy and Legend. Taylors, South Carolina: Faith Printing Co.
Carlson, C. (2012, May 4). GHS Swamp Rabbit 5k 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012, from Greenville Hospital System University
Medical Center: http://www.ghs.org/swamprabbit5k
City of Greenville, S. (2012). Department of Parks and Recreation, Trails and Greenways Recent and Future Projects. Retrieved
June 7, 2012, from City of Greenville, South Carolina:
http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/Trails/FutureProjects.aspx
Cortright, J. (2009, August). Community Trails Systems. Retrieved January 9, 2012, from AmericanTrails.org:
http://www.americantrails.org/resources/devel/Economic-value-walking-homes.html
David, C. A. (1926, July 18). Greenville, South Carolina - A Newspaper Article From 1926. Retrieved from Abandoned Rails.com:
http://www.abandonedrails.com/Greenville_South_Carolina
Davis, A. (2012, January 22). Bottlecap Partners Add Pop to Brands. The Greenville News, 1E. Greenville, SC, USA: The Greenville
News.
Foley, M. (2012, June 5). $1.75 million Swamp Rabbit Trail extension opens. Retrieved from The Greenville News:
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20120605/NEWS/306050034/-1-75-million-Swamp-Rabbit-Trail-extension-
opens?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Greenville County Economic Development Corporation. (2000, Februay 16). Approved Minutes, Greenville County Economic
Development Corporation. Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
Greenville County Recreation District. (2011, August 17). GHS Swamp Rabbit Now in Fountain Inn. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from
Creating Community Through People, Parks & Programs: http://greenvillerec.com/2011/08/17/fountain-inn-opening-
southern-section-of-ghs-swamp-rabbit/
Houck, T. (2012, June 7). GHS commitment to the SRT. Electronic Mail. Greenville, SC.
Kirven, H. ". (2006, February 7). Greenville County Economic Development Corporation. Letter. Greenville, SC, USA.
Myers, C. A. (1984). A Short History, The Greenville & Northern Railroad, 1887-1984. Greenville Railroad History Since 1853.
Greenville, South Carolina, USA: C. A. Myers.
RailTex, Inc. (1997, May 1). RailTex, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Greenville and Northern Railway Assets. Retrieved from PR
Newswire: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/RailTex,+Inc.+Announces+Acquisition+of+Greenville+and+Northern...-
a019367320
Reed, J. A. (2012). Greenville Hospital System Swamp Rabbit Trail: Year 1 Findings. Furman University, Health Sciences.
Greenville: Furman University.
Reed, J. A. (2013). Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail: Year 2 findings. Greenville, SC: Furman University. Retrieved
from https://www.dropbox.com/s/bky255zfji3ee6z/SRT%20Impact%20Study%20Year%202%20Final.pdf
Richardson, J. (2012, April 19). Study: More than 350,000 users a year on Swamp Rabbit Trail. Retrieved June 7, 2012, from
trtribune.com: http://www.trtribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4655:study-more-than-
350000-users-a-year-on-swamp-rabbit-trail&catid=42:rokstories&Itemid=219
Rooney, B., & Wade, J. (1977, Spring). Greenville & Northern, The Swamp Rabbit is still with us. Railfan, pp. 18-23.
Runey, M. (1949, December). Carolina Swamp Rabbit. Railroad Magazine, pp. 38-45.
Ruthven, A. W. (2007). A citizens guide to rail trail conservation. Retrieved from American Trails:
http://atfiles.org/files/pdf/CitizensGuide.pdf
Sheppard, J. D. (2006, Winter). Greenville & Northern Railway Company. NRHS Bulletin. Philadelphia, PA: Grit Commercial
Printing.
Taylor, T. (2012, March 9). Greenville to River Falls. Retrieved from Abandoned Rails:

11
http://www.abandonedrails.com/Greenville_to_River_Falls
The Travelers Rest Tribune. (2012, June 6). New segment of Swamp Rabbit Trail opens in Greenville. Retrieved June 7, 2012,
from trtribune.com: http://www.trtribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4838:new-
segment-of-swamp-rabbit-trail-opens-in-greenville&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=316
Williams, V. A. (1997, December 31). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved from Decisions: STB Docket No. AB-312 (Sub-No.
2X):
http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/ReadingRoom.nsf/UNID/C80666AF340B189E8525657500529333/$file/28750.pdf
Williams, V. A. (1998a, February 10). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved from Decisions: NO. AB-312 (SUB-NO. 2X):
http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/UNID/451E118882DAE26C852565A2005DAD41/$file/28739.pdf
Williams, V. A. (1998b, March 30). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved from Decisions: STB Docket No. AB-312 (Sub-No.
2X):
http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/WEBUNID/8EC84C529D9317D2852565CD00583508?OpenDocu
ment
Williams, V. A. (2005, July 27). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved from Decisions: STB Docket No. 42087:
http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/UNID/23EB3A6D3EBD2BA38525704B0055643B/$file/35870.pdf
Williams, V. A. (2006, November 13). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Decisions: STB Docket
No. AB-490 (Sub-No. 1X):
http://www.stb.dot.gov/Decisions/readingroom.nsf/WEBUNID/64DD505905FE277885257221006A24CF?OpenDocum
ent

GHS-Swamp-Rabbit-Trail-History

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Ähnlich wie GHS-Swamp-Rabbit-Trail-History

Ähnlich wie GHS-Swamp-Rabbit-Trail-History (10)

GHS-Swamp-Rabbit-Trail-History