Monaghan Mill, Former cotton mill in Greenville, South Carolina
Monaghan Mill is a four-story brick building with a basement, built around 1900 in Greenville. The structure contains large open interior spaces with heavy timber beams and iron columns designed to support heavy textile machinery.
The mill was founded in 1902 by cousins Lewis and Thomas Parker, named after their grandfather's home in County Monaghan, Ireland. The operation expanded rapidly, merging with other local mills in 1911 to form a large company with over one million spindles.
The mill was more than a factory; it was a small community where workers and their families lived around it. The Parker family designed the grounds with care, making the area attractive while fostering a sense of place where daily life centered on the mill.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains privately owned, making interior access typically unavailable. Viewing from outside provides a good sense of the mill's scale and construction, including its prominent smokestack, water tower, and nearby pond.
Workers from Belgium and other European countries lived in housing connected to the mill, creating a diverse community around the factory. The site even included its own clinic, school, YMCA, and a baseball team for workers and their families.
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