Poe Mill

The old “Governor’s Hill” area is now home to one of Greenville's northernmost mills. This area got its name because of B.F. Perry's house (Perry was our Governoor in South Carolina during Reconstrution.

The mill was created by Francis W. Poe. F.W. Poe Manufacturing Company had around 1,000 employees, mostly brought in from North Carolina and Tennessee! These were "hill people"--folks who had no contact with the outside world in their little mountain towns and homes. Their pay was oonly around ten cents an hour, up to $6 for a 6-day week. The highest wages belonged to the adult white males, with women falling just behind and Black employees earning only slightly more than children. Because earnings were based upon how many machines a worker operated consecutively, wages often decreased as workers grew older and became less able.

Poe Mill's management was also notorious for “stretching out” the labor of the textile workers, or overexerting workers in claiming they could do more work in a smaller amount of time. Workers were exposed to dangerous machinery and this only increased their risk.

It was under these conditions that a group of workers gathered in the United Textile Workers of America’s general strike of 1933 and took their case to court in 1934.

Despite the seemingly poor working conditions, though, life was vibrant in the Poe Mill Community. When constructed, F.W. Poe referred to the site as his “little New York,” inspiring the layout of houses, stores, churches, and schools all within a close proximity. Workers and their families were also able to purchase food and clothing at the local store to be taken from their weekly payroll.

Suggested Reading:

Huff, Archie Vernon. Greenville: The History of the City and County in the South Carolina Piedmont. University of South Carolina Press, 1995.

Logan. “Poe Mill + the Story of Greenville's Skate Scene.” GVLToday, 4 Aug. 2017, gvltoday.6amcity.com/poe-mill-story-greenvilles-skate-scene/.

Davis, B.J. “Textile Strike of 1934.” NCpedia, 2010, www.ncpedia.org/textiles/strike-1934.

Graham, Hoyt. "The Poe Community". 26 Apr. 1961.

Willis, Jeffrey R. Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection. Arcadia, 2006.