295 Palmer Street – Winnsboro Cotton Oil Plant

City Directories and History: Cotton oil, (Southern Cotton Oil Company), an extract from the seed, was an important byproduct of the cotton crop. The pictures provided of the interior are courtesy of the Fairfield County Museum.  This location, next door, was later used by the Lyles family as part of the cotton yard for the purchase and shipment of cotton from Fairfield County.  Other words, cotton was baled, seed extracted at the mill and then sent next door to the Lyles cotton warehouse.

Talley of cotton weights recorded by Mr. Lyles, in 1936,  for the Patrick family from Woodward, S.C. Mr. Lyle’s cotton brokerage office was adjacent the oil mill.

Pelham Lyles reported on the building adjoining the oil mill stating, “My grandfather, James M. Lyles,  (see his home on High Street) used the buildings for his cotton buying operation before my father converted part of it to his first builders’ supply establishment.”  Besides Mr. Lyles family, there were numerous other cotton brokers in Winnsboro, making it a major hub of agricultural sales and export.

*** The address is approximate, the buildings are now used by the City of Winnsboro, S.C. for utility operations.

“Edward Gendron Palmer was one of the first Low-Country planters to settle in Fairfield County. Among other distinctions, he was president of the company which put a railroad through Winnsboro in 1850. There is good reason to believe Palmer Street was named for him.”

(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)

Receipt dated Oct. 29, 1912 – Courtesy of the Kirkpatrick Family Collection – 2018

The Rock Hill Record reported on March 30, 1908 – “Fire broke out on Saturday night, March 28, 1908 at the ginnery of the Southern Cotton Oil Company at Winnsboro. The ginnery, seed house, offices and warehouse were destroyed, along with fifteen bales of cotton belonging to Joseph Davis.  The loss of buildings was about $10,000. which was covered by insurance. No other properties were damaged.”

---

Stay Connected

Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.

Visit the Southern Queries – Forum to receive assistance in answering questions, discuss genealogy, and enjoy exploring preservation topics with other members. Also listed are several history and genealogical researchers for hire.

---

User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

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.

Do you have information to share and preserve? Family, school, church, or other older photos and stories are welcome. Send them digitally through the “Share Your Story” link, so they too might be posted on Roots and Recall.