Paris Mountain

My ancestors used this mountain's water for everything: transportation, navigation, food, medicine, cleaning, and so much more. The 1,540-acre State Park sits on land that was once the main water source for the city of Greenville. Paris Mountain is a monadnock, which is a mountain that stands alone and this provided many natural springs for a natural water supply into the city of Greenville.

Paris Mountain is also home to four separate water reservoirs used specifically for natural water supply. One of those reservoirs was Lake Placid, a 13-acre lake that is used today for fishing and swimming. Similarly, Sulphur Springs, with its very high mineral content, was tapped for its healing properties. Local bottling predated running water.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made the area a state-park and area for recreation in 1936 and soon after its use as a water source waned. Greenville now gets its drinking water from reservoirs further from the city, including the Saluda Reservoir at the very northern edge of South Carolina.

Paris Mountain State Park Historical CCC Tour.