Editing Seneca, South Carolina (section)

==History==
[[Image:Seneca SC welcome sign.JPG|thumb|left|Welcome sign]]
In the antebellum period, this area was part of the [[Pickens County, South Carolina#History|Pickens District, South Carolina]]. The state had used jurisdictions such as parish, county, district, and county again in its history. Oconee County was not organized until 1868, after the American Civil War.

Seneca was founded in 1873, during the [[Reconstruction era]], as the railroad town "Seneca City", named for the [[Seneca River (South Carolina)|Seneca River]] and a historic [[Cherokee]] town known as ''Isunigu''. It was called Seneca in a kind of transliteration by British colonists.

Seneca City was developed at the intersection of the [[Blue Ridge Railroad of South Carolina|Blue Ridge Railroad]] and the newly built Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railroad. Both lines are now part of the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]]. A. W. Thompson and J. J. Norton, who were [[locating engineer]]s for the Air Line Railroad, purchased the land from Col. Brown of [[Anderson, South Carolina]], also in the large Pickens District. A stake marking the center of town was driven into the ground at the intersection of the railroad tracks and the current Townville Street. The land was divided into lots for a one-half mile from the stake. An auction was held on August 14, 1873. The town was given a charter by the [[South Carolina State Legislature|state legislature]] on March 14, 1874. In 1908, the name was changed to the shorter Seneca.

[[File:Seneca Cotton Warehouse.jpg|thumb|left|Old Cotton Warehouse. The right hand section of the warehouse burned in April 2008 and has been torn down.]]
Seneca developed as a marketing and shipping point for cotton, the major commodity crop in this uplands area. During the harvest, wagons bringing cotton would line up for blocks from the railroad station. A passenger terminal, several hotels, and a park were built near the railroad tracks. Recently, this park was named the Norton-Thompson Park in honor of the city's founders.

The first school was built in 1874. The community also was home of the [[Seneca Institute - Seneca Junior College]], established here in 1899 as an [[historically black college]]. It was reserved for African-American students until 1939.

[[File:WPSplant.jpg|thumb|right|Westpoint Stevens Plant, January 2008. Demolition of the mill began in the spring of 2008.]]
Textile mills were built in the area; a plant-and-mill village was built in 1893 by the Courtenay Manufacturing Company in [[Newry, South Carolina|Newry]] on the [[Little River (Seneca River)|Little River]], which supplied hydropower for the mill. W.L. Jordon built another textile plant and mill village east of Seneca. This village has been called Jordania, Londsdale, and [[Utica, South Carolina|Utica]]; these changes accompanied changes in ownership of the plant. The [[J. P. Stevens]] Plant, which was later called the Westpoint Stevens Plant, was a large [[textile mill]] built on [[Lake Hartwell]]. Its workforce was integrated, unlike most other plants that hired only whites. Many other textile mills were developed in this area. These plants were the main industry for Seneca for the first half of the twentieth century. With the shift of these jobs overseas, these textile mills are now closed.

In the late 20th century, major dam projects were constructed n the Keowee and other local rivers, to support recreation and public utilities. These projects created three major lakes: [[Lake Hartwell]] in 1963, [[Lake Keowee]] in 1971, and [[Lake Jocassee]] in 1974, stimulating development in Seneca and the region. Duke Power's [[Oconee Nuclear Generating Station|Oconee Nuclear Station]] was built on Lake Keowee, drawing cooling water for its operations from the lake.

The recreation provided by the lakes, and other attractions, such as nearby [[Clemson University]] attracted many retirees from other parts of the country. Retirement communities have been built in the area.<ref>Louise Matheson Bell, ''Seneca: Visions of Yesterday'', 2003, {{ISBN|0-9763843-0-2}}.</ref> Concerned about over-development, some residents formed the Friends of Lake Keowee Society (FOLKS) to advocate for balance.<ref>Edgar, Walter, ed. ''The South Carolina Encyclopedia'', University of South Carolina Press, 2006, p. 859, {{ISBN|1-57003-598-9}}.</ref>

Early on April 13, 2020, a [[2020 Easter tornado outbreak#Retreat–Seneca–Clemson, South Carolina|high-end EF3 tornado]] struck residential areas south and east of Seneca. Many buildings were damaged or destroyed and one person was killed.<ref>{{cite report|author=National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina |title=NWS Damage Survey for EF3 Tornado Event |url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSGSP&e=202004132122 |publisher=Iowa Environmental Mesonet |date=April 13, 2020 |access-date=April 13, 2020}}</ref>