Celanese historical marker unveiled at former Rock Hill plant site
Some 30 people gathered outside the Riverwalk YMCA Wednesday for the unveiling of a historical marker that commemorates the Celanese Celriver plant that once stood on the site.
The event was organized by the Celriver Legacy Project, a charitable organization comprising former Celriver plant employees and business, community and civic leaders.
The group, which has been instrumental in getting the historical marker erected, is also working on other ways to memorialize the plant, which operated in Rock Hill from 1948 to 2005 and was one of York County’s largest employers.
A project committee has developed a multiphase plan for memorializing the plant. One element of the plan is to build a plaza area adjacent to the YMCA and Giordana Velodrome. One proposed phase, a $200,000 project, would feature sculptures and the names of former employees engraved along the grounds.
Other elements such as kiosks, benches and memorial paving stones are also part of the proposal, which carries a total price tag of about $500,000.
The overall project goals include sculptures of employees and plant equipment, a poem about the Celriver plant inscribed in the pavement and publication of a pictorial history book depicting the operations of the plant and the role of its employees over its nearly 60-year history.
Ed Ewald, chairman of the Celriver Legacy Project Committee, also announced a formal kickoff to project fundraising.
So far, the Celriver Legacy Project is about halfway toward its fundraising goal for the overall project. The group has raised over $160,000 for the plaza. Most donations have been made by former Celriver employees, according to Ewald.
The group hopes to eventually construct a historical exhibit on the grounds. “It will be a multifaceted memorial, basically,” said local historian Michael Scoggins, who has helped get the project running.
Scoggins is also working on a book that provides a pictorial history of the Celriver Plant that should be available by the end of the month.
“It certainly provided good employment for a lot of people in York County,” Scoggins said. “It contributed a lot to the economy. Plus, Celriver ... really became part of the community.”
In the meantime, the nonprofit is hoping to create a $300,000 college scholarship fund for descendants of Celriver employees. The program will most likely provide scholarships to York Technical College, where many former plant employees received their education.
“It was a family, in many ways ... and still is to this day,” Ewald said.
To contribute to the project or for additional information, contact Carl Elliott at 803-324-3411.
Wording on Historical Marker
Celanese Celriver Plant
This plant, once called “a miracle of modern technology,” produced synthetic yarn and fibers for clothing, synthetic flakes for making plastic household and industrial goods, and other synthetics from 1948 to 2005. The Celanese Corporation of America chose this 1,100-acre site on the Catawba River for its capacity of 100 million gallons of water a day. The plant began operations in 1948.
The plant had its own power plant, water purification and treatment plants, and chemical recycling. It was long among the largest employers in York Co., with an average of 1,600 and a peak of 2,300. Its work force was unionized, unlike most S.C. industries. At one time this plant was one of the largest producers of synthetic yarns in the U.S. As global demand for its products slowed, Celanese Celriver closed in 2005.
This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Celanese historical marker unveiled at former Rock Hill plant site."