Great Falls is a very small Town located in the piedmont section of South Carolina on the Catawba River. The town was founded by the power company owned by Mr. J.B. Duke. As he built hydro electric plants on the Catawba and was the founder of the three Republic Cotton Mills, people were brought from far and wide from the farming communities to live in the newly constructed mill villages that offered new homes that were equipped with running water, electricity and sanitary sewers. The mill company owned and furnished to the merchants newly constructed buildings in the downtown area for retail trade. The northern part of town, nicknamed Flopeye, was primarily built and owned by private parties.

  The school system, part of Chester County School District, has always been successful in graduating scholars who went on to become lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, and professional medical personnel, which the community is very proud of.

  As a town, we cannot leave off our pride and admiration of our athletic teams which have won state championships in all major sports.

     The closings of the three mills and the decline in retail services within our town has had a negative effect on our population, but we are striving to turn things around and once again have a thriving and industrious town. LEARN MORE

Located in South Carolina, we’ve partnered with Arras Foundation, formerly J. Marion Sims Foundation, to bring Community Heart & Soul directly to the towns of Kershaw and Fort Lawn. The towns are supported by Community Heart & Soul-led coaches, training and technical assistance to guide community engagement activities throughout the community development projects.

The Arras Foundation is entering its third decade of service to the community, with a focus on transforming the health and wellness of Lancaster, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls, South Carolina  LEARN MORE

Our Towns Civic Foundation tells the stories and connects the lessons of innovators across the country, especially in smaller communities and remote and rural areas. It continues the work of journalists James and Deborah Fallows, in their 2018 bestselling book, Our Towns, and the critically acclaimed 2021 HBO documentary of the same name. Deb and Jim are adding new editors, reporters, and producers to their team and forming partnerships with like-minded organizations and adding new towns and cities to the more than 50 already featured. In 2022 they announced a major cooperative initiative with Community Heart & Soul, to tell the stories of CH&S towns across the country and share their lessons with other towns. 

Our Towns’ aim is to show America itself at the community level, and to help people involved in local-renewal efforts to become more aware of others confronting similar problems and working toward similar goals. The process of the American renewal has a long history, but today’s technologies allow a form of connection never possible before. Through digital storytelling, video features, digital mapping, podcasts, and other discussion tools, Our Towns serves as the platform for the telling of the stories of American renewal nationwide from the ground up, as well as the hub for connecting the people and places driving the stories of American renewal to inspire informed action.