From the archives: What was Greenville like from 1924 to 1974? Greenville News at 150 years

For 150 years, The Greenville News has reported the stories of our community and the people who give life to the Upstate . Here is a brief overview of our history through each half-decade, telling Greenville's story from 1924 through 1974.

The Greenville News' second half-century of coverage began in 1924, as prohibition, Jim Crow Laws, segregation, and the Great Depression were present throughout the American South.

There was much division during this period, but development still arose in the area. Greenville would see foundational entities such as the Shriners Hospital being built in 1927, Greenville's Downtown Airport completed in 1928, and Greenville High School opened its doors in 1938.

Greenville's previous half-century saw a growth of textile mills, but the Textile Worker's Strike of 1939 saw many strikers from across America arrive in the area, determined to shut down the mills of Greenville due to reduced wages, dividends, and increased workloads.

Donaldson Air Force Base was built in Conestee a year after the attacks of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and initially housed 400 command pilots. The base was named to honor Major John O. Donaldson, a World War I air ace originally from Greenville. By 1961, the Air Force had announced the closing and sale of the base.

The Greenville News revisited the stories of segregation and Jim Crow Laws through Upstate historian Ruth Ann Butler. Her account of marching from Springfield Baptist Church to the aforementioned Greenville Downtown Airport in 1959 is the precursor to many of the Civil Rights movements in the area. Integration of Greenville County libraries took place on July 18, 1960, as eight Black students known as the " Greenville Eight " were retrieving books at a library and arrested. It made history because they were Black students at an all-white library.

Greenville's first modernized office tower, the Landmark Building, opened in 1966 in downtown Greenville and remains the city's tallest building.

– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription .

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: From the archives: What was Greenville like from 1924 to 1974? Greenville News at 150 years