Monaghan Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Monaghan Mill
|
|
.JPG)
Monaghan Mill, 2012
|
|
 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 201 Smythe Street, Greenville, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Area | 16.8 acres |
| Built | 1900–02 |
| Architect | Lockwood, Greene & Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001159 |
| Added to NRHP | October 4, 2005 |
Monaghan Mill, now known as the Lofts of Greenville, was once a busy textile mill in Greenville, South Carolina. It operated from 1900 to 2001. After closing, the building was changed into modern loft apartments. This historic building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Building the Mill
Monaghan Mill was started by two cousins, Lewis Wardlaw Parker and Thomas Fleming Parker. Lewis was born in Abbeville, South Carolina. He studied law and later became president of the Bank of Greer. Thomas was from Charleston. His family already had shares in other cotton mills.
In 1900, the Parker cousins decided to create Monaghan Mill. They named it after County Monaghan, where their grandfather was born. A company from Rhode Island, Lockwood, Greene & Co., built the mill. It opened in 1902 on a large piece of land near the Reedy River in Greenville. The mill started with a lot of money, about $450,000, and had 35,000 spindles for spinning cotton.
Monaghan Mill quickly became very successful. It made different types of cloth, like those used for shirts and window shades. By 1907, the mill had grown to 60,000 spindles. Its value had also increased to $700,000. Many workers moved to Greenville from other states and even Europe to work in the textile factories. For example, Monaghan Mill hired fifty workers from Belgium. They lived in one of the mill's boarding houses.
Later, in 1911, the Parker cousins combined Monaghan with several other mills they owned. They formed the Parker Cotton Mills Company. This company became huge, operating over a million spindles. This was more than any other textile company in the U.S. at that time. However, the company faced financial problems during World War I and closed in 1914. The mills were later reorganized and sold to J. P. Stevens and Company in 1946.
Life in the Mill Village
Thomas Parker, as president of Monaghan Mill, wanted to create a great community for his workers. He believed in taking care of his employees. He provided a medical clinic for the community. He hired a top doctor and a nurse to work there.
Parker also made sure there was an elementary school, a playground, and a YMCA. The YMCA building was quite expensive for its time, costing $18,000. It was the first YMCA built in a southern mill town. Parker hired a talented young man named Lawrence Peter "Pete" Hollis to run the YMCA. Pete Hollis later became a famous educator.
The mill even had its own baseball team by 1904. In 1907, Monaghan joined the new Greenville Cotton Mill Base Ball League. The baseball team gave workers something fun to do and watch. It also made them feel proud of their mill, which helped them feel more loyal to their jobs.
Like many southern textile mills, Monaghan Mill and its village were mostly self-sufficient. The mill had its own water well and made its own electricity. It even had its own trash collection. The company store sold most of the things workers needed. There was also a mill church that Baptists and Methodists shared until they built their own churches. Later, in the 1920s and 1930s, mill president Thomas Marchant continued to support the workers. He would lend them money and organize fun events like picnics and Fourth of July parties.
Monaghan Mill also built two kindergartens and an elementary school. Because the local high school was too crowded and charged tuition, mill leaders pushed for a new school district. They even offered to pay for the school themselves. After some debate, the Parker School District was created by the South Carolina government. Parker High School opened in 1923. Pete Hollis organized this new district and became its superintendent.
Hard Times, Good Times, and Changes
During the Great Depression (a time of economic hardship), people bought fewer textiles. Mills had to lower wages and let go of workers. In the early 1930s, workers at Monaghan could only work three days every two weeks. The government wanted to set a 40-hour work week. However, the mill president argued against it, saying the mill would go out of business. Instead, the mill tried to make workers produce more in the same amount of time without extra pay.
Even during the national textile workers strike of 1934, Monaghan Mill kept operating. Union organizers found the mill gates locked with National Guardsmen standing guard.
World War II brought more demand for textiles. Monaghan Mill made cloth for military uniforms. However, after the war, the new owner, J. P. Stevens and Co., sold the mill village houses. They were too expensive to keep up. The Monaghan School burned down in 1954, and the YMCA was torn down in the late 1960s. Other community places, like the swimming pool and baseball field, were also closed or changed.
In the 1960s, government rules and a shortage of white workers led to mills becoming more integrated. However, African-American workers sometimes faced challenges in getting promotions. Many took legal action to fight for fair treatment.
Over time, it became harder for American textile mills to compete with cheaper foreign labor. The old Monaghan mill village started to look run down as workers moved away. Some houses were left empty. In 1983, the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority began fixing up the area. They repaired many homes, repaved roads, and turned the old Monaghan School site into a daycare center.
Becoming Loft Apartments
In 1988, Monaghan Mill was sold to JPS Converter and Industrial Group. This company ran the mill until it finally closed in 2001. In 2003, a company wanted to change the mill into apartments. The local council said no at first because of safety concerns and a lack of clear plans.
A year later, another company, Monaghan Mills LLC, bought the property with similar plans. This time, the plan was approved. In 2004, the South Carolina government passed a law to help textile mills be redeveloped. This law offered extra tax credits for old buildings listed on the National Register. The Monaghan development, which cost $15 million, received $10.2 million in tax credits.
The building officially reopened in October 2006 as The Lofts of Greenville. It now has 190 new apartments with one to three bedrooms. They kept the original industrial look of the mill. This includes open spaces, high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and wooden beams. The apartments also have concrete and wood floors, arched windows, and visible ductwork. The complex also offers a fitness center, a movie theater, a swimming pool, a community garden, fishing ponds, a dog park, and grilling areas. There are also hiking trails that connect to the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
In October 2005, Monaghan Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was recognized as an important industrial site with a special architectural style from the early 1900s. The property includes the old mill building, seventeen acres of land, the original smokestack, a water tower, and a pond.
You can find pictures of the mill, its village, and the community in the Greenville County Library System's digital collections.
