09/18/2026
🌿 One person can make a difference.
Anne Springs Close’s vision preserved 2,100 acres for generations to enjoy. We’re grateful to the Anne Springs Close Greenway for their partnership and for carrying on that legacy. 💚
Read her story: [link]
FORT MILL, SC HISTORY- SHE PRESERVED 2,100 ACRES BEFORE FORT MILL’S BOOM
Long before Fort Mill experienced today’s rapid growth, Anne Springs Close made an extraordinary decision: preserve the green space first.
Born in Charlotte on November 15, 1925, Close grew up in Fort Mill as the daughter of Elliott White Springs, the celebrated World War I aviator who led the Springs textile business. She inherited not only the family’s connection to the textile industry, but also its tradition of supporting recreation, education and community institutions.
During the 1980s, Close watched Charlotte’s growth move south toward Fort Mill. Concerned that forests, farms and historic places would disappear beneath development, she worked with conservationists and planners to protect 2,100 acres of family-owned land.
The plan reversed the usual order of development.
“Most developers build first,” Close later explained, “and if there’s anything left over, they would make a green space. We did it the other way around.”
The legal documents establishing the preserve were reportedly signed by candlelight after Hurricane Hugo left the area without electricity in 1989. Restoration took several years, and the Anne Springs Close Greenway opened to the public on Earth Day in 1995.
Today, the preserve contains forests, lakes, pastures, historic structures and approximately 40 miles of trails. It has become a regional destination for hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, paddling, education and quiet encounters with nature.
Close, who died in 2021 at age 95, left Fort Mill something increasingly rare: thousands of acres that future generations could experience rather than merely remember.
