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History · Startex

49% of Startex’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1938 on.

0on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Startex’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Startex are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Startex’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Startex’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Startex, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Startex yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Startex is a census-designated place (CDP) in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 859 at the 2010 census. The area was originally known as Tucapau, named after the mill that was built there in 1896. In 1936, Walter Montgomery Sr. bought the mill and changed its name to Startex—the brand name of household textiles produced at the plant. The mill ceased operations in 1998 and was mostly dismantled in 1999.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 859 to 745 (-13%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Startex, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Started Mill2023Started MillSCMap-doton-Startex2004SCMap-doton-Startex
On the map

Startex on the map, 1938 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Startex. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Startex on the 1938 USGS mapStartex on the 1957 USGS mapStartex on the 1983 USGS map1938Greer sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Startex.

Famous people

Famous people close to Startex

Nobody well known was born in Startex itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
C
Celia WestonAmerican actress · b. 1951
L
Lee HaneyAmerican bodybuilder · b. 1959
David DanielsAmerican opera singer · b. 1966
Gina TollesonMiss World 1990, 1st runner-up to Miss USA 1990 · b. 1969
Deebo SamuelAmerican football player · b. 1996
Ken HarrelsonBaseball player and broadcaster from the United… · b. 1941
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Wellford2 historic placesB+DuncanIts storyC−

Questions about Startex’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.