“M” is for Mauldin (Greenville County; 2020 population 24,764). In 1784 former Cherokee land in Greenville County was first made available to White settlers. By 1843 a little farming community known as Butler’s Crossroads developed. In 1886 the Greenville and Laurens Railroad was constructed through the community. In 1890 Butler’s Crossroads was renamed Mauldin, in honor of the president of the railroad. Until the1920s, Mauldin thrived as an agricultural center. In 1932 the town petitioned the state revoke its charter. By 1940 most stores were vacant and the train depot closed. In the 1950s, with the construction of a water line from Greenville to Fountain Inn, the local press predicted that businesses would be attracted to the “golden strip” and Mauldin, the town that almost died, became one of the fastest-growing cities in South Carolina.
"M” is for Mauldin
