Brandon Mill

Built in 1901, Stephen Greene, the president of the New England architectural firm, mentioned Brandon Mill as "one of the prettiest cotton mill settlements in the state." With the unique design, Brandon Mill soon became the exemplar of the multistory brick masonry construction mill type in Greenville County.

The neighborhood here used to be the home of 922 residents. Over four hundred of them were employees who were largely recruited from Appalachia and other rural areas in the southeastern United States. In the early stage of development, Brandon Mill offered its employees with many advantages to keep them with the mill for the long term.

In the 1900s, people tended to spend what little money they earned. The cotton mills' leadership asked employees to save money, a feat nearly impossible on low wages with a "company store" that kept the monopoly on purchases. However, Brandon Mill did allow employees to own its bank stock, whose capitalization was $5,000 at that time--a more successful scheme for improvement.

To serve the spiritual life of the workers, a church was built in the mill village grounds. As recorded in "The Cotton Mill of South Carolina," the cotton mills sponsored the church by providing lights and fuel and $200 to support the minister annually. Houses and playgrounds were built around the mill complex so that workers could work in the mill and play on the field after work. The effort of improving workers' lives not only gave the mill property integrity and context but also improved workers' loyalty.

Brandon Mill had a strong emphasis on education, too. The majority of children went to school, which was an anomoly at the time, and, adult night school let folks like Mr. Aiken get ahead: "To me, learning how to read and write was the best thing I had ever done in my life and which I highly endorsed." Despite this, Brandon Mill still faced justified backlash in letting children under 12 work in the factory. According to August Kohn, statistics from the mill showed there were 6 children under 12 working in Brandon Mill.

Brandon Mill controversy culminated when striking began in 1929. An agreement was negotiated two months later and the mill went back to normal operation.

Contemporary Note: Brandon Mill closed in 1977. West Village Lofts offer luxury condos today.

Suggested Reading:

August Kohn. “The Cotton Mills of South Carolina.” 1975

Editors. “Poinsett Operatives Vote To Accept Offer.” The Gaffney Ledger. May 21, 1929. Page 8. https://bit.ly/2WhPHJ3

Editors. “Man Who Attended School Is Going To Little Rock.” The Gaffney Ledger. April 12, 1923. Page 7. https://bit.ly/2up0s0z