Columbia, South Carolina – Olympia Mill

This photo of one of the two clock towers of Olympia Mill was taken by Samantha Keisler of Lexington in November 2007. Olympia Mill is located in the historic Olympia Mill Village, just outside downtown Columbia next to the Congaree River. The Granby Mill sits next to it.

Samantha writes: "This is one of my favorite shots of that day. I didn't even realize the way the sun was hitting it until I got home and uploaded my pictures. It made me think of the clock tower in Back to the Future as soon as I saw it."

The Olympia Mill was opened in 1899. At the time, it was the largest cotton mill under one roof in the world. The neighborhood around the two mills (Olympia and Granby) quickly grew as workers were needed to operate over 2,000 textile looms. Operating for almost a century, the Olympia Mill finally closed its doors in 1996. It sat vacant for more than ten years, until it was renovated in 2007 to house upscale apartments.

See a postcard of Olympia Mill in 1915.

For an informative overview of the history and buildings that make Olympia Mill and Village a historic neighborhood read the Olympia Mill and Village Historical and Architectural Inventory - requires Adobe Reader