151 Sixth Street
The Rock Hill Herald on April 27, 1882 reported – “A committee of gentleman from Winnsboro were in Rock Hill last week seeking information on the operation of the Rock Hill Cotton Factory. It is thought that the minimum amount of stock will soon be secured for a mill in Winnsboro.”
City Directories and History: The construction of the Winnsboro Manufacturing mill had a significant impact on the local economy and attracted hundreds of workers who have contributed handsomely to the economic and social well being of Winnsboro and Fairfield county. From the history: “D.A. Tompkins was listed as president, T. W. Lauderdale was vice president and J.M. Beaty was secretary-treasurer. The directors were W.C. Beaty, T.K. Elliott, J.Q. Davis and J. F. McMaster.” D. Cecil of Salisbury, N.C. was the contractor.
The Rock Hill Herald reported on April 18, 1889 – reporting from the Winnsboro Herald, “that a building committee for the Cotton Factory in Winnsboro, have had Mr. A.D. Holler of Rock Hill here to examine the soils to see if they are suitable for making bricks for the factory building.” Mr. Holler said, “no better soil could be found anywhere for this purpose.”
The Rock Hill Herald reported on March 18, 1903 – “An accident at the cotton mill in Winnsboro has cost Charles Wooten his life. A belt from the machinery caught him and cut his body in half. He was about fifteen years old and was the son of J.A. Wooten who lives at the mill.”
The Rock Hill Herald reported on May 12, 1916 – “Directors of the Parker Cotton Mill Company meeting in Greenville voted to sell the eight mills in their Hampton Group to Lockwood Green and Co., of NY for just under $3,000,000. The mills include Granby, Richland, Olympia, and Capital City in Columbia; Beaver Dam in Edgefield, Fairfield in Winnsboro, Wylie in Chester and Pine Creek in Camden. The creditors of the Parker Cotton Mills will receive 70% of the debts in cash and the balance in preferred stock.”
Postcard view of the old Fairfield Cotton Mill. Courtesy of the FCM – 2016
Please take time to enjoy the following link: COTTON MILL BLUES
The links associated with this page from the Lewis Hines Photo Collection tell an important history of the textile industry in Lancaster, York, Fairfield and Chester counties, S.C., and elsewhere in the South. See the complete listing of images from the Hines Collection: http://lewishinephotographs.com/ Also, images from the Lancaster Cotton Mill have been added for users to see the working conditions within the regional cotton mills in the early 20th century. Conditions in the Winnsboro Cotton Mill would have been similar to those in the Lancaster Mills shown below.
ADDITIONAL MILL VILLAGE IMAGES
PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE MILL VILLAGE
Sections of the panoramic view of the Winnsboro Textile Mill. Courtesy of the Brice Collection – 2018 SEE ENLARGEMENTS THIS PAGE
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R&R HISTORY LINK: The Winnsboro Cotton Mill
R&R HISTORY LINK: Mr. A.D. Holler – Rock Hill Contractor
R&R HISTORY LINK: The Baptist Church
MILL HOUSES – Courtesy of the Davie Beard Postcard Collection – 2017
Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.
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I remember when I was a youngster, listening to the shift change whistles coming from the Winnsboro Cotton Mills. I think the mills were on an around the clock schedule and my guess is the shift changes were 11 PM, 7 AM and 3 PM. I think you will find Pelham Lyles has a good recording and a short video clip on the song “Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues” that would be a great addition to this section of R&R. The work you and your team are doing on this historic web site is exceptional.
Best regards,
John S Withers Jr
My great-grandfather, Thomas Ketchin Elliott , Senior, was, I believe, the last president of the Winnsboro Cotton Mill. He was also president of the Wylie Cotton Mill
in Chester, SC, I believe, and founded the first telephone company in Winnsboro , SC. His home still stands at 500 Peays Ferry Road, Winnsboro, SC. He was
a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and graduated 6th in his class. He died in 1930.
My grandfather grew up in the mill cottage at 160 Dunn St.
I believe it was built around the time the mill opened around 1890.