Editing Whitmire, South Carolina (section)

==History==

The earliest settler in what is now Whitmire was John Duncan, who built a house along the creek that now bears his name.  The George Frederick Whitmire family arrived prior to the 1790s (1790 Census) and established a tavern and post office.  The arrival of the [[Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway]] in 1890 led to the town's rapid growth.  Whitmire incorporated in 1891.<ref name=revels>Jennifer Revels, "[http://nationalregister.sc.gov/SurveyReports/NewberryCounty2003-2.pdf Historical and Architectural Survey of Newberry County, South Carolina]," 2003, pp. 52-54.</ref>

In 1902, William Coleman and several associates established a large textile factory known as the Glenn-Lowery Mill, which included 900 looms and 33,000 spindles.  By 1911, the mill had nearly doubled in size.  Later owners continued to expand the mill, and it would remain a major source of revenue for Whitmire throughout the 20th century.<ref name=revels />

A fire in 1916 destroyed much of downtown Whitmire, which consisted primarily of wooden buildings.  The town passed a series of new fire ordinances, and the business district was rebuilt with brick.  Many of these buildings are still standing.<ref name=revels />

In 1924, Whitmire attempted to "secede" from Newberry County and form a new county known as Carlisle County.  The new county would have consisted of parts of Newberry County, [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens County]], and [[Union County, South Carolina|Union County]], with Whitmire as the county seat.  The county's organizers failed to acquire the necessary amount of land, however, and the initiative failed.<ref name=revels />