Spartanburg textile mill to be demolished

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — A 124-year-old textile mill is being demolished after years of legal and financial battles over the fate of the Spartanburg landmark.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports (http://bit.ly/ArIRFD ) that Clifton Mill No. 2 is set for demolition.

But county officials say the site could become a nature preserve with trails, campsites and river access.

Foreclosure of the property was completed in 2009, after the former owner’s failed attempts to start a sand-mining operation and to turn the mill into apartments or condos. The 240,000-square-foot mill and 39 acres of riverfront property was bought at public auction for $500 and then sold to a developer from Louisiana for $325,000.

Clifton Manufacturing was founded in 1880. Clifton Mill No. 2 was built in 1888 and expanded in 1957.

Operations ceased in the 1990s.

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Information from: Herald-Journal, http://www.goupstate.com/