Simpsonville grew up around a nearby stagecoach stop operated by Thomas Goldsmith (1788-1868). Goldsmith's house, on the Old Stage Road from Laurens to Greenville, stood near a crossroads where the Old Stage Road met an old Cherokee trail later known as Georgia Road. This road was the main route through the area from about 1820 to about 1870. The railroad arrived in 1885-86, when the Greenville & Laurens Railroad completed its line through the town. Main Street was laid out parallel to the tracks, and the railroad ushered in a period of rapid growth and prosperity. The G&L RR and its successor, the Port Royal & Western Carolina Railway, were absorbed by the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway in 1896. The Atlantic Coast Line RR took control of the C&WC in 1897 and operated it until 1959. The first passenger and freight depot here was demolished in the 1970s.