Laurens County Council has unanimously approved a resolution accepting roughly 3.8 acres of land along the Reedy River, clearing the way for a new Culbertson Mill Park on a site that was once one of the area's liveliest river hangouts. The donation comes from Dianne Culbertson, who intended the gift both to establish the park and to save and restore the more than 150-year-old Culbertson Mill that still stands on the property.
The council's vote, confirmed by whosonthemove.com, finalizes a decision that had been teed up earlier in the month. A separate report from golaurens.com had indicated two weeks ago that council would merely consider a resolution to accept the 3.8-acre donation, rather than reporting the acceptance as final — a distinction now resolved by the council's unanimous approval. Maintenance of the new park will be funded through park grants, according to Who's On The Move.
Andy Howard, Laurens County's parks and recreation director, will head the transition of the property into a public park. According to The Laurens County Advertiser, Howard said the park would evoke Ekom Beach's former role as a Reedy River destination, and he compared its goal to Pretty Place at YMCA Camp Greenville in Cleveland.
A Mill Site With Deep Roots
The land carries real history. Culbertson Mill was active and run by the Culbertson family from 1870 to 1900, per the Advertiser's reporting, and the broader Ekom Beach site traces back even further. The mill property was first owned by a man named Simpson before passing to John R. Culbertson, according to rootsandrecall.com, which also notes a May 5, 1856 record of a payment to Culbertson for repairing a bridge at his mill. As late as 1936, rock pillars and sills still marked the large mill house and the foundations of smaller structures on the property, the site reports.
The name Ekom itself has an unusual origin — Milam used the four initials of his wife's full name, Elizabeth Kitura Owens Milam, to produce Ekom, according to rootsandrecall.com. In its heyday, Ekom Beach's wide sandy area supported a dance hall, a skating rink and a snack bar, making it a popular hangout, per randomconnections.com. The site's history also includes Ekom Beach's recreational past.
Plans for a Pavilion and River Access
Dianne Culbertson envisioned the park as a place for county residents to sit by the river and find peace, solace and faith, according to the Advertiser. She wants the planned pavilion constructed with timber and stone and built over the remaining foundation of a skating rink on the property — a direct nod to the site's recreational past. Once complete, the pavilion is expected to be bookable for birthday parties and other events, while the broader park is intended to give families and children a place to have fun.
Current plans for Culbertson Mill Park include that pavilion along with a kayak and canoe launch, tying the park into an existing paddling corridor. The Reedy River rises in Greenville County in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains before flowing into Laurens County, according to sctrails.net, which describes the stretch between Boyd Millpond and Ekom Beach as one of the best three- to four-hour floats in the area. Boyd Millpond itself impounds the Reedy River, which continues all the way from Greenville to Lake Greenwood, the site notes. Howard has said he wants to extend the Reedy River Trail, also known as the Blue Trail, to Lake Greenwood — a goal that would link the new park into a longer regional paddling route.
Why Culbertson Made the Gift
For Culbertson, restoring the mill was pivotal to her agreement with the county, the Advertiser reports. She said she had considered preserving the mill herself but felt she was too old to begin a project that could take years or decades to complete. Culbertson, who owns the Culbertson Backcountry Settlement property in Gray Court, instead chose to donate the parcel so the county could carry the work forward.
Howard plans to apply for historic preservation grants to help fund the mill restoration, according to the Advertiser, and he has said the restoration could be a long process. South Carolina's State Grant Fund is designed to support historic preservation projects that benefit local communities through the physical repair and rehabilitation of the state's historic buildings, according to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, which also administers federal preservation grants funded through the U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service. Howard and county officials are described as committed to the mill restoration project moving forward.
