Riverbanks Zoo and Garden - South Carolina Aquariums & Zoos

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
500 Wildlife Parkway | Columbia, SC 29210 | 803.779.8717

Historic Landmarks

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden not only serves to protect rare and endangered wildlife and wild places, but also safeguards a number of South Carolina's significant historical landmarks. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, Riverbanks' 170-acre site has a deep-rooted history dating back to the early 1800s with South Carolina's textile industry and the Civil War. Today visitors can view structural remains that reveal this rich past from several vantage points within the Zoo and Garden.
RiverVenture Take a trip down the Broad, Saluda and Congaree rivers with RiverVenture, the story of South Carolina's cultural and natural landscape as told by its rivers. Join the Three Rivers Journey and learn more about these fascinating waterways.

COVERED BRIDGE ABUTMENTS:

In February 1865, Confederate troops burned down the old State Road Bridge, a covered bridge crossing the Saluda River, in a futile attempt to keep General William T. Sherman's army from entering the city of Columbia. Sherman countered the effort by immediately ordering the construction of a temporary bridge. It is believed that this pontoon, or floating, bridge may have been made out of lumber from the Saluda mill.

The old State Road Bridge was located near Camp Sorghum, roughly five acres of open field turned prisoner-of-war "camp," where Confederate troops attempted to detain nearly 1,300 Union soldiers in 1864. There were no secure boundaries surrounding the area, however, so escapes and attempts were recurrent. The camp's name symbolized the prisoners' restricted diet of cornbread and sorghum (a cereal grass). When word came of Sherman's advance on Columbia, any remaining prisoners were temporarily moved to a more secure location, the state mental institution. They were later transferred to Charlotte, NC, when the Confederate surrender became imminent in February 1865.

Riverbanks' visitors can now see the remains of the covered bridge just east of the new Saluda River Bridge connecting the Zoo and Garden properties. Onlookers walking across the footbridge can view the original large granite abutments on opposite banks of the river, as well as the supporting pier foundations at the base of two small river islands.
Saluda River
Covered Bridge Abutments
Covered Bridge Abutments
SALUDA RIVER FACTORY RUINS:

The Garden's River Trail leads visitors from the Saluda River Bridge along a paved path to the ruins of the old Saluda River Factory. One of South Carolina's oldest textile mills, the factory was constructed out of granite blocks sometime around 1830, and ultimately became one of the largest cotton mills in the South. At one point, the company that owned the factory utilized 64 slaves to help operate the mill. Several other businesses were located next to the factory including a general store, gristmill, tavern and several boarding houses. This area makes up the Saluda Factory Historic District.

The Saluda River Factory struggled financially throughout its history and was sold several times. This misfortune continued when Union troops set it ablaze during Sherman's occupation of Columbia. On the eve of the burning of Columbia, Sherman and his troops set up camp on a point just above the factory. They began their assault on the city from this ridge on February 17, 1865. A huge boulder, known as "Sherman's Rock," still remains and is visible along the Garden's Woodland Walk.

Following the Civil War, the mill was reconstructed, only this time a wood-frame structure was built on the original granite foundation. An accidental fire destroyed the mill for a second and final time on the afternoon of August 2, 1884. From the paved path and covered pavilion on the River Trail, visitors can see remnants of the granite foundations of the mill, picking house and millrace. One of the more striking features of the mill ruins is a keystone arch immediately adjacent to the path. Careful observers may also notice drill marks on many of the boulders along River Trail and Woodland Walk. These marks are the result of a drilling process that split apart the huge rocks in order to produce the blocks of granite used in building the original mill.
Saluda River Factory Ruins

SALUDA FACTORY INTERPRETIVE CENTER:

In order to convey the historic significance of the Saluda River Factory, an interpretive center was built adjacent to the mill site in 1999. Its construction was made possible thanks to the generous gifts of Evelyn Cantey Marion, Helen Cantey Woodbridge, Edward B. Cantey, Jr., John B. Cantey, Evan and Cindy Nord, and Southland Log Homes of Columbia, SC. The climate-controlled log cabin, conveniently located at the intersection of River Trail and Woodland Walk, features important artifacts, descriptions and graphics revealing the site's history and its connection to the Civil War.

Be sure to stop by the Interpretive Center to learn more about the fascinating past that belongs to these riverbanks.

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