Monaghan Mill

Lewis Wardlaw Parker and Thomas Fleming Parker founded Monaghan Mill in 1900, three years later than Poe Mill. For the Parker cousins, the ideal mill village would be named for their grandfather's hometown in Ireland. The name was also fitting because they received financial support from their grandfather Thomas Fleming.

The Parkers were also recipients of good advice from Francis W. Poe of the F.W. Poe Manufacturing Company.

In the 1910s, the Parker cousins left textiles and the Victor-Monaghan Company was formed. In 1946, Monaghan (among other mills) merged into J.P. Stevens Co., Inc.

The entrance you see would be used all day and all night. Night workers often came from the first mill-owned high school, Parker High School. You can typically enter the foyer, look at major beams and still smell the industrial iron and wood--the smell of history!

Exiting the back, you are looking over the area where 500 workers at Monaghan Mill lived. If you worked at the mill you were able to live in a house for 25 cents per month as your rent. Houses lined the surrounding streets--Ravenal St., Moody St., Speed St., Thomas St., and most importantly, YMCA St.

As Mattie M. Harvell, a Monaghan Mill resident, claimed “all activities at Monaghan centered around the Y.” They included skating, movies on Friday nights, basketball (girls and boys team), baseball, and tennis. The Y even had four shower stalls at the bottom of the YMCA building, which made the children so excited because they would get their hair washed and for a nickel they could get a bar of soap, washcloth, and a towel. Also, down at the cow pastures they had a golf course, overseen by Joey Shelton.

Gladys S. Thackston, another Monaghan Mill resident, recounted a time she was scared to work in the weaving room under Tom Hughes because he would show her what she did wrong and accuse her of making them lose money.

Still, she treasures the memories, even if they were hard labor under tough management. Neighbors would help, the work environments were good, and the community brought joy. The positive mill model at Monaghan inspired other mill communities, and left such a footprint on the Greenville community that the mill community still regularly gathers to share its history and relive "the good old days!"

Suggested Resources:

"Monaghan Mill," SC History and Archives.

"Monaghan Mill," Greenville County Library System.