In 2004, the International Steel Group purchased the Georgetown Steel Co. and its Lowcountry rod mill, temporarily ending speculation as to the economic future of Georgetown and the hundreds of employees that had been laid off a year earlier after Georgetown Steel filed for Chapter Eleven and shut down its plant 1. By Christmas of 2004, optimism began to wane. Unemployment remained high, despite the mill’s reopening, as other industries within Georgetown were forced to file for bankruptcy 2. By 2006, however, Georgetown’s jobless rate dropped to 6.3 percent, just below the state’s average for unemployment. New industries and economic policy had created hundreds of jobs, leaving residents with a cautious optimism 3 The development of Georgetown from a small fishing town to a postindustrial center during the latter half of the 20th century was a necessary change, but despite the economic hardships that can arise from dependence on fickle markets, the benefits to the community are numerous. With the individual residents of Georgetown lie the personal stories of impact. One such story is that of Susan Grant, for whom the Georgetown Steel mill provided not only an income to support her family, but a means by which to show industrialized Georgetown that it was time for women to join its workforce.
Life in a Steel Mill
Hope Reborn