http://www.aiken.k12.sc.us/schools/byrdel/history.htm

In the western section of Aiken County extending from the Savannah River to the city of Aiken, is a section known as the Horsecreek Valley.  This section of the county serves as a cradle of South Carolina textile mills, legends, old families, and hard working folks.  The Valley extends some twenty miles and houses more than 20,000 people, over 40 churches, and some 20 small independent towns/communities.   Each of the small communities, villages, and towns still clings to its identity, although telephone exchanges and a highway network have tied them into an almost single city stretching from Aiken to the Savannah River.  The highest point in the Valley is located atop Cemetery Hill near the gravesite of Mr. William Gregg, founder of the Graniteville Company and the industrial titan of the valley.

     The Westos and Chickasaw Indians originally inhabited the Horsecreek Valley.  The Valley’s legacy dates back either to the tribes of the era or to the brawling era before the War between the States.