Woodside Cotton Mill Village Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Woodside Cotton Mill Village Historic District
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Woodside Cotton Mill Village, March 2012
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Woodside Ave. and E. Main St., Woodside, South Carolina |
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| Area | 162.4 acres (65.7 ha) |
| Built | 1902 |
| Built by | Sirrine, Joseph E. |
| NRHP reference No. | 87000678 |
| Added to NRHP | April 30, 1987 |
The Woodside Cotton Mill Village Historic District is a special place in Greenville County, South Carolina. It's called a historic district because it has many old buildings and areas that are important to history. This district was once a busy village built around a large cotton mill.
The village was started in 1902 by John T. Woodside. It's located just outside the city of Greenville. Even today, many of the original buildings are still there.
Woodside Mill: A Giant of its Time
The main building in the district is the Woodside Mill. It's a big, four-story building made of brick. J.E. Sirrine designed it, and it was built between 1902 and 1912.
This mill became very famous! It grew to be the largest cotton mill under one roof in the United States. It was also one of the biggest cotton mills in the entire world. Imagine how much cotton was processed there!
Life in the Mill Village
The Woodside Mill Village was a complete community for the mill workers. It had everything they needed.
The village still has 343 of the original mill houses where families lived. There was also a building for cotton waste, which is leftover material from making cloth. The mill had its own office building and a recreation building for fun activities.
The community also had two churches. For sports, there was a baseball park. There was even a large pasture or common garden area where people could grow food or animals.
A Historic Landmark and New Life
The Woodside Mill and its village were officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. This means they are recognized as important historical sites.
For a while, the mill building was empty. There were ideas to turn it into apartments, homes for older people, or art studios. These plans didn't happen right away because of money issues.
However, in 2021, the Woodside Mill finally got a new purpose! It was changed into modern loft-style apartments. These new homes are now called The Lofts at Woodside Mill.
You can see old photographs of the mill, village, and community. They are available in the digital collections of the Greenville County Library System.
