Graniteville Academy, a Carpenter Gothic school, was built in 1848 by the Graniteville Mill, then the largest textile mill in S.C. William Gregg (1800-1867), who opened the mill in 1847, created a model mill village there. The academy, with five classrooms and a bell tower, opened with local ministers as teachers for students in grades 1-6, and Gregg made attendance compulsory for all mill village children between ages 6 and 12. Wings were added to the building in 1853, and a second building was later added to the campus. The academy added grades 7-11 in 1898, and its first high school graduating class finished in 1899. Leavelle McCampbell School, 4/10 mi. south on Canal St., opened in 1922 and replaced Graniteville Academy. The old academy was converted into houses, with the wings detached and moved, and the original 1848 academy there served as a residence from 1922 to 1969.