The Lantern Fall 07

The Lantern
A Publication of Historic Rock Hill
FALL EVENTS AROUND
THE STATE
WHITE HOME UPDATE
Fall, 2007
by Wade B. Fairey
September 27 thru October 28
Fall Tour of Homes & Gardens,
Charleston, SC (Thursday-Sunday)
843-577-3311
October 20
Apple Harvest Festival, Windy Hill Orchard, York, SC
684-0690
October 20
Once upon a time in Fairfield, Native
American Supper, Catawba Pottery Exhibit, Winnsboro, SC
803-635-9811
October 25th
Historic Rock Hill
Oyster Roast/BBQ Fundraiser White Home grounds
November 9-11
Battle of Secessionville, Boone Hall
Plantation, Charleston, SC
843-884-4371
November 29 - December 2
Christmasville, Rock Hill, SC
Festival of Trees, Art, Music and Food
November
TBA Yorkville Music Weekend, York,
SC www.yorkdowntown.com
Members will be contacted by
e-mail or by the calling
committee prior to meetings
T
Statewide Preservationist Visit White Home Restoration. Left to right: Rusty Robinson, Michael Bedenbaugh and James Kibler.
he work on the home itself is progressing exceedingly well and I hope
you are as pleased with the restored
façade as am I. Just take a close look
at the photographs accompanying this article
and you can plainly see what monumental
strides are being made. What vision the White
family had to produce such a striking look for
their rural home. No living Rock Hillians have
ever seen anything but the photographs of the
home in this state, most of those who are seeing
it for the first time, are pleased beyond expectation. What a jewel of architectural style Rock
Hill now has to offer the community. Along
with preservation efforts in the commercial
area, the Rock Hill Cotton Factory and others
of note, I see a real turn around in preservation
and economic efforts. I believe HRH has helped
bring much of this effort to the forefront and
members should be exceedingly pleased with
the organization’s long-term endeavors.
Of equal excitement to the Phase I façade
restoration, is the evolving design and campaign
for the conservation and management of the
White Home grounds. The architectural
restoration of the house is only one component
of the overall restoration plan. Local landscape
artist, Mr. Scott Reister, has been working
with HRH’s Board to preserve the best of
what HRH has remaining from the White
grounds as well as to create a balance of new
fresh ideas for the 21st century. A small part
of this is the on going research necessary to
recreate the front yard of the house. Taking
all of this into consideration and working
closely with several board members, Development Director, Lisa Hendrix and I have devel-
oped a plan to create multiple opportunities
for individuals and corporations to financially
assist in recreation of the grounds. Thus far,
four separate parties have stepped forward to
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request naming rights to sections of the
grounds. The entire project will cost about
$450,000. to complete, and HRH needs members and local citizens alike to become involved in this or other restoration phases.
HRH needs every citizen of Rock Hill and the
area to become involved in helping create the
vision of a fully restored White Home and
grounds.
Opportunities to assist with the grounds
endeavor are numerous and range from taking an entire sector of the front yard, to assisting with planting individual pecan trees in
one of two groves or a dozen other ground
ventures. Please take a minute to think what
you or your family can do to assist within this
realm?
P hoto graph s a re b y R usty Ro bins on wh o
v i s i ts th e s i te w e e kl y to ph ot o d o c um e nt t h e
r e s t o ra ti o n p r o g re s s .
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REMARKS
One of the many enjoyable aspects of my history career has been the ability to access historic properties with relative ease. Those of you who know me well realize that these ventures, including my vacations, are often related to the study of the Carolina’s rural architecture and building customs. In
doing so, I get to visit long forgotten sites that take some real effort to find and explore. Returning from
my most recent trip to Fairfield County, South Carolina, left me with bruises and scrapes about which
I know little. Nevertheless, you will never hear me complain, because the trip was refreshing in every
manner.
HRH’s Board Member and my long-term friend Rusty Robinson accompanied me. The two of us have always felt that architecture in our area has been misunderstood and unappreciated. Joining a group of friends from many parts of the region, we
carpooled to seven different historic buildings in Fairfield County. We began at one of my very favorites, an 1840 plantation home
with remarkable architecture. Its builder, Mr. Jedidiah Coulter, from York County is credited with constructing several magnificent homes in Chester and Fairfield counties. Albion, at Douglass, SC, was his crowning jewel. I would love to find a documented
example of his skills in York County, but having looked for thirty years, nothing has yet surfaced. At the second stop, a couple
was heavily remodeling their home. Those of us on the tour offered substantial guidance, which we hope was imparted and received as guidance and not criticism. Additional visits were made to Ivy Hall, Lemon Tree, and other lovely antebellum homes.
All of these are early 19th century homes of substance offering completely differing methods of construction and style. Of course,
the tour was fun because of the opportunity to visit lovely homes, but what was so interesting about this tour was the diverse
group of participants. It included young professionals from Columbia, an artist couple from Raleigh, NC an acknowledged
silver expert originally from Charleston, SC a local museum director, antique dealer and others of equal interest in understanding
upcountry South Carolina housing of the antebellum period.
All of the above-mentioned parties were keenly aware that two in the group, Rusty Robinson and the new Executive Director
of the Palmetto Trust, Mike Bedenbaugh, examined each of the properties from top to bottom. I was amazed that the two of them
crawled from end to end, photographing and discussing the intricate details of early to mid 19th century home construction.
Even more bizarre was the fact that it was done in 97-degree weather and most parties on the caravan listened carefully to the
extensive arguments and revelations from the crawl spaces and attics as we progressed.
This statewide group of preservationist were also keenly interested in HRH’s restoration of the White Home. The study and
work going into the restoration of the White Home by HRH members and the staff are having an impact further than just Rock
Hill. Of additional note were the number of connections between the counties. I feel that visiting sites as we did in Fairfield
County strengthens our ability to accurately date and understand the complexities of 19th century architecture and building
trades. The White Home is an incredible example of architecture and one of which Rock Hill should be extremely proud. I look
forward to listening to Mike and Rusty’s arguments as they go through the White Home this Septemeber.
Memorials to Historic Rock Hill
Memorials:
Mrs. Ed (Parky) Gettys
Mr. W.C. (Bill) Rutledge, Jr.
Mr. W.C. (Bill) Rutledge, Jr.
Mr. Jimmy C. Rhea, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. S. Rice McMaster
Dr. & Mrs. S. Rice McMaster
Neily Pappas
Mr. & Mrs. Billy Pinyan
Gifts to Historic Rock Hill
In Honor of:
Neily Pappas by Jean Plowden
Betty Jo Rhea by Jean Plowden
3
Special & lasting Christmas
gifts for family & friends that
have everything:
HRH Memberships
In Honor of donations to White Home
HRH Holiday ornaments
Business shows support of Historic Rock Hill
During the month of October please drop by Candace Creations & Paulette’s Potpourri (1639 Ebenezer Rd.), mention
Historic Rock Hill & 20% of your embroidery/monogramming
order (on items purchased there or brought in) will be donated
to HRH. So get your Christmas list & personal items together
& drop by to get a jump on the Christmas rush. Make your
items & gifts special & personalized while supporting Historic
Rock Hill.
REMINDER:
Ready to enjoy a lovely relaxed evening at the lake with 20 of
your closest friends dining on a delicious low country shrimp
boil?? Well then don’t forget our membership drive. We will
bring our contest to a close in the next few weeks. Please
don’t forget to ask your friends, neighbors & family to join
Historic Rock Hill. Member with the most new paid members (minimum 5) will win. We have had 18 new members
added thanks to several members’ efforts in getting the word
out.
If you have any questions, please call 329-1020.
The Red Hills English/CountryDance Society
4
Welcomes new members, single or couples, free to join.
Practice held twice a month. Performance available.
Directors
Dr. Martha Macdonald and
Ms. Cynthia Jentz
327-2530
548-1141
HISTORIC ROCK HILL WELCOMES THE
FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:
Joy Boyd
Dr. & Mrs. Joe Carlisle
Paul & Karen Coombs
John & Geri Dane
Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Darby
Ian & Nancy Davidson
Joel Farrar
Emory G. Hendrix
Mary Kathleen Hendrix
Joe & Lena Hopkins
King Tile & Marble Co.
Darren & Evelyn Knight
Sherron & Ray Marshall
Coit R. Morrison
Mullis Paint Co.
Gene Newton
Phil & Bonnie Parker
Beth G. Pierce
Red Hills English/Country
Dance Society
Copeland Rhea
Ed & Martha Tucker
CAROLINA STAIRCASE/MILLWORK
Specializing in Historic Restoration
Russell Frase
704-363-5534
5
MISSKELLEY’S FORUM
6
Many local Rock Hillians probably remember this lonely structure located at 731 East White Street as the Rock Hill Feed &
Supply Company coal store where you could buy coal by the bag
or ton, but in fact this building has a long and distinguished history.
Originally built as the office of the Highland Park Cotton Oil
Mill, this free-standing building and the main complex across
the street was constructed in 1902 by the Highland Park Manufacturing Company of Charlotte as a fertilizer factory and ginnery, and its construction was seen as a great benefit to the
community.
As the cotton was harvested from the fields, the farmers would
load all of their cotton into wagons and travel into town to have
their cotton ginned. Under the protection of the office’s full
front façade, the farmers would pull their wagons into the scale
where the wagon and cotton were both weighed together. The
farmer then moved his wagon across the street where his cotton
was sucked out of the wagon and ginned. As the cotton went
through the process of having the seed removed and the cotton
bailed, the farmer would wait at another part of the ginnery until
his newly bailed cotton would be dumped back into his wagon.
He would then have his cotton and wagon re-weighed where he
would learn how many pounds of cotton he had harvested. The
farmer would then go downtown to a cotton factor where he sold
his bale of cotton for the best price.
Mr. Herbert Wall spent his whole life it seems at the intersection of Pride Street and East White Street where his father built
a home and ran a grocery business next door called WH Wall.
Mr. Wall who was a friend of my late father, Hugart M. Misskelley, told me in a taped conversation in 1999 that the wagons full
of unprocessed cotton would be lined up from the office of the
cotton oil mill all the way back to Pride Street!
My father, Hugart M. Misskelley, has left written accounts of
how he used to watch the Southern switch engines back into the
by John T. Misskelley
oil mill and remove and replace railroad cars full of cottonseed
oil. He also remembered that the compressed cottonseed ‘cakes’
were then fed to cattle.
The ginnery continued under the ownership of the Highland
Park Manufacturing Company until around 1940 when it appears to have been sold. From 1942 through 1945 it was called
the Rock Hill Ginnery with James E. Byers as the manager. In
the 1946 city directory it appears that two separate businesses
operated out of the old oil mill as the Rock Hill Feed & Supply
Company, managed by C.M. Sturgis and the Cornwell & Company Ginnery operated from the same address. As we are interested in the lone building across the street from the demolished
old oil mill, we will continue with its history.
From 1949 through 1966 the Connatser Coal & Fuel Company operated out of this building, and in 1955 Lawson F. Waldrop opened a Real Estate business in the old oil mill office
working along side of Connatser Coal Company and staying in
the building until 1968-69. In 1970 the name of the business
changed to the Rock Hill Coal Company and remained under
this name until 1976-77, when the name of the business became
the Rock Hill Feed & Supply Company’s coal yard. The oil mill
across the street was associated with the Rock Hill Feed & Supply Company until 1989; the address was then listed as vacant
until it was not listed in the directory in 1995 when it seems to
have been torn down.
Today, the office building appears to be in sound shape and
is used as storage by the local owner. The lot to the east of the
office is now surrounded by a chain link fence. If you look you,
can see a railroad trestle that stops abruptly at the property line
with the barber shop. It is entirely possible that this is how the
coal was delivered to the coal companies who later operated out
of the office building, but the original use of this trestle was for
a railroad turntable that turned the Southern engines around
so that they would run in another direction. The remaining part
of the trestle and the turntable were dismantled many years ago.
Would it not be a wonderful thing to see this important piece
of history saved for future generations?
Thank you:
Scott Lee
glass for windows
Sutton Construction
work on parking lot
The Grounds Committee Neily Pappas, Lisa Robards
& Chris Davis
Ronnie & Beth Wallace Professional Lawn Systems.
President’s Remarks
It is hard to believe that fall has arrived, although the temperature does not feel like it. Summer has been very busy for Historic
Rock Hill. The work on the White Home façade is almost complete and it looks fabulous! For those of you who have not been by
in the past couple of months, it is worth the trip. Mac Leitner and Leitner Construction Company have done a beautiful job, under
the direction of Neily Pappas, who has continued to spend an enormous amount of time on a daily basis at the site.
There have been many people helping with the White Home Project. Maggie and Jack Sutton, with Sutton Construction Company,
have been so generous in clearing and grading the back of the property and bringing in dirt. The area is now flat and will soon be
ready for landscaping and parking. Jane Moore and the Moore family have donated brick pavers from Palmetto Brick Company,
which will be used for the gardens and walkways. Chris Davis has been cutting grass and Neily Pappas and John Barnes have made
contributions for clearance and maintenance activities. All of these efforts are much appreciated and have made the grounds look
so much better.
There have been so many things going on behind the scenes at the White Home over the past few years that have not been visible.
We have been acquiring property, replacing the roof, stabilizing the structure and completing plans. It is exciting to finally be able to
actually see the house transformed into what it looked like in its past glory. 0ur thanks go to everyone for their support and contributions. The accomplishments not only benefit Historic Rock Hill, but also the City of Rock Hill and York County. We are on the
way to having a “pearl” preserved for today and future generations.
Speaking of pearls, Lisa Hendrix, Lisa Robards and Charlotte Shillinglaw are busy making plans for “A Pearl of an Evening,” which
will be held on Thursday, October 25, 2007. There will be an oyster roast/barbecue, along with entertainment and live and silent
auctions. It will be a fun evening, so put it on your calendar and look for the invitation in the mail.
Stephen Turner and the Planning Committee recently met to discuss the next phase for the White Home and plans for the future
uses. Now that the first phase is nearing completion, we will be soon ready for Phase 2.
Again, thanks to the Historic Rock Hill staff and many members who have contributed to bringing us to where we are today. It
is rewarding to see the accomplishments and knowing that we are preserving an important piece of history for this entire region.
Grazier Rhea
President
There’s Always a Place for You
Anyone interested in serving on a committee or
the Board please contact the office (329-1020).
We would be excited to hear from you!
Historic Rock Hill’s The Lantern
printed courtesy of
Congressman John Spratt
“Proud To Serve You Since 1983”
7
Andy Hafner Had A Way With Houses And Women
Blair House near Sharon, South Carolina
The Herald, September 21, 1950 by Elizabeth Reed
Andy Hafner (10/16/1821 – 3/16/1914) must have been one of York
County's truly remarkable men.
8
The half-dozen fine old homes scattered over the county built by
him, his own well-preserved house in the Turkey Creek community
and the memories passed down from one generation to another attest
to that. (Data suggest that he and his family built several fine homes in
the Sharon area of York County, including the fine Blair Home on
Hwy 49.)
He married four ladies, outlived them all, and died in 1914 at the
age of 93.
His simple one and one half story home must have been typical of
his character. With his building skill he might have erected a more
pretentious dwelling for himself. Instead he chose to build a sturdy
home that after a century is firm, the chimneys are strongly bonded to
the house and with a little paint it could become a home for a discriminating family. The place is owned now by Blair Dulin of Bowling
Green. No one lives in the house, although it is wired for electricity
and has a good roof. (Even though the 1850 Federal Census states that
both he and his brother were farmers, records highly suggest as does
Mrs. Reed’s article, that they both constructed many ante-bellum home
in Western York County. In 1850, the census recorded that Andy was
owner of four slaves and by 1860 was worth $18,500.)
The Andy Hafner home is just a few miles from the two story house
erected for Andy's brother, Marcus. The house was originally built
with a wide comfortable porch, two main rooms with smaller shed
rooms to the back, and a half story reached by a stair in the corner of
one of the big downstairs rooms. Somewhere along the way a part of
the porch has been boxed in to make another room and the stair has
been blocked.
The quaint 18 pane windows are, for the most part good, although
some of the windows need replacing. The mantels are of hand carved
and fluted design. The original floors are of wide pine boards and the
interior ceiling is smooth and well preserved. (In 1856 records also say
that he did an addition and work on the wheat, flour and kitchen of
Rev. R. Y. Russell’s home near Sharon, SC. Accordingly he was paid
a total of $56., for this work.)
First Wife----Andy Hafner brought his first wife, Martha Gwin, to
the house about 1853. The house was new and had been built especially for the 19 year old Martha. Martha, the daughter of Polly Whitehead Gwin and Richard Gwin of the nearby community, lived to enjoy
the new home only a short while, probably less than a year. A bereaved
Andy buried her body in the Gwin family cemetery.
Pretty soon a second wife, Mary Jane or Hannah Abel came to live
in the house. She, too, died after a few months, leaving no children.
After a decent interval Andy brought his third wife into the house.
She was Kissiah Hardwick, a daughter of Mildred Barrow and William
Hardwick. They reared a family of six children.
Eudocia married John Patrick and founded a home at White Oak.
Hattie Hafner married Dr. Miller of Chester. John Hafner married a
Mrs. Melton; Robert Russell Hafner married twice, a Miss Howe and
then after her death, a Miss Lewis. Woods Hafner went to Alabama
and married a Miss Jago. William became an A.R.P. minister and
preached in South and North Carolina and in Tennessee. He kept up
the marrying tradition of his father by marrying successively Miss
Mary Parks, Miss Susie Shannon, a Mrs. McFadden and a Mrs. Gregg.
In the middle life Mrs. Kissiah Hafner became an invalid. She died
in 1876 and Andrew was left with his six children. Andrew, now 55,
soon brought home a new wife, Mrs. Sallie West, who lived until 1893.
Aftter her death Mr. and Mrs. Tom Blair lived for many years in the
old home and took care of the aged builder. (It would be of great interest to cultural preservation efforts in York County if more was know
of his records and the homes he constructed. Western York County
Historian, Jerry West who assisted with this information also says that
“supposedly he built six other houses” and could have built the Bullock’s Creek Pres. Church pulpit.)
*** Highlighted information was added by Wade B. Fairey.
Progress On the Homefront
How exciting it is to drive past the White
Home and to see the home returning to its
original state of stability and beauty!
Over the coming months we will see the
continuation of the White Home restoration,
as we are nearing the completion of
Phase I of the home's restoration. Also, of
great importance, is the ongoing maintenance
of the grounds of the home. Not
only has Neily Pappas been our devoted onsite
consultant, working very closely with the architects and the Leitner Construction
professionals, but she has also been the force
behind arranging to have the grounds cleared
of overgrowth. She has been personally responsible for compensating her crew for the
regular mowing of the lawn for the past two
or three years, and each of us owes her a
great deal of gratitude and thanks.
You have all noticed other happenings on
the grounds, I am sure.....a number of trees
have been taken down to create the space
needed for the parking area. And through
the generosity of Jack Sutton and Sutton Construction Company, the parking site has been
graded and prepared for the future events on
the grounds. This is a tremendous accomplishment, and Historic Rock Hill is grateful
indeed for Sutton Construction Company's
partnership in this endeavor. Also, Historic
Rock Hill has received a donation of brick
pavers from Jane Moore and family. The
pavers are to be used in the gardens on the
grounds of the White Home. We appreciate
the Moores thoughtful
participation in our project as well.
Neily has also assisted in setting in place a
Grounds Committee, and is turning the work
over to our group. Leading the committee is
Mackey Norman, Chairman, with other
members being: Chris Davis, Chris Rushing,
Jerry and Ann Couick, Arnold and Ann
Couick, Lisa Robards and Chuck Walling.
Our committee will be meeting in the coming
weeks to address the short and long term
needs and planning for maintaining the
by Lisa Robards
grounds. With much dedication and assistance from other volunteers, I am certain we
will provide the care necessary. Please phone
our office or one of the people on the committee, if you are interested in helping with
the Grounds Committee.
As Wade mentioned in his update on the
home, Scott Reister has beautiful plans in the
works for our site. I am envisioning a period
garden, with brick walkways and a fountain,
and a thriving garden full of a variety of lovely
camellias, azaleas, and other heirloom plantings, complete with green grass! We anticipate that The White Home and grounds will
be a desirable site for many events in the coming years including, wedding receptions, corporate meetings or retreats, concerts, Historic
Rock Hill events such as a family day, May day
celebration with a Maypole,
tea
parties........there are so many possibilities!
Please share the good news with your friends
and invite them to join HRH, as we continue
with our mission of preservation in Rock
Hill.
OYSTER ROAST & BBQ IN OCTOBER ON THE WHITE HOME GROUNDS
Historic Rock Hill’s next White Home fundraiser is in the works, & we know you will want to be there.
Thursday evening, October 25th, we will enjoy a delicious Oyster Roast & BBQ on the White Home
grounds. Cost of the event is $100/couple & $60/single. There will also be a live and silent auction with
an exciting variety of items & services available. Have your Christmas list ready & come prepared to shop.
Another reason you will want to attend is that on this evening, former Rock Hill Mayor Betty Jo Rhea
will be honored by the Rock Hill Sesquicentennial Committee. In 2002 this committee was instrumental
in honoring the 150th anniversary of the founding of Rock Hill with their book The “Good Town” Does
Well: Rock Hill, S.C., 1852-2000. The Sesquicentennial Committee now wants to show their appreciation
for Betty Jo through making a contribution to Historic Rock Hill, which will fund the planting of a garden
on the White Home grounds, in her honor. This dedication is in recognition for all Betty Jo has contributed to both the City of Rock Hill & Historic Rock Hill. She is truly a Pearl to the community. What
a memorable way to recognize her, and we are so pleased to be a part of her night of honor.
For your information, on the night of the Oyster Roast & BBQ, parking will be available on the grounds, including the newly
graded parking pads. We will have a check in table with nametags, so please look for that as you come in that night. Also this is not
a membership only event, so if there is anyone you would like to receive an invitation, please contact us at the office (329-1020). The
more the merrier!!!!!
More details to come by invitation, but go ahead & mark your calendar, October 25, 2007. We look forward to seeing you there.
Reservations are limited to 200.
Lisa B. Hendrix - Development Director
9
A HISTORY OF THE ROCK HILL
COTTON FACTORY
written by Michael C. Scoggins,
Historian, Culture & Heritage Museums
Condensed for the Lantern by Lisa Robards
Following the end of the Reconstruction,
entrepreneurs and investors sought to establish cotton manufacturing mills in the South
so that the cotton grown in the South could
be converted into manufactured goods like
thread, yarn and cloth. Previously the cotton
had to be shipped to factories in the North
or overseas. "Bring the cotton mills to the cotton" was the philosophy in those days. One
of the first and most important mills was the
Camperdown Mill on the Reedy River in
Greenville County. It was a water-powered
spinning mill that began operation in 1875
and would serve as the model for many later
mills in the South Carolina Piedmont.
Several of the forward thinking individuals in Rock Hill noticed what was happening
in Greenville and decided that Rock Hill was
ideally suited for textile manufacturing. The
area was surrounded by thousands of acres of
cotton fields in addition to being the hub of
two vital railroads in a thriving business district. James Ivy, a cotton broker and banker
approached Adolphus Eugene Hutchison,
also a wealthy merchant and farmer, to help
raise the necessary funds to build a cotton factory in Rock Hill. The two men recruited
other investors from Rock Hill, including
Hutchison's nephew Andrew Hutchison
White, a successful cotton farmer from one
of Rock Hill's founding families; William L.
Roddey, another Confederate veteran and a
leading merchant in town; William Barron
Fewell, a local physician; John Rutherford
London, a N.C. native and merchant; and
Allen Jones a Rock Hill banker, also born in
N.C.
Other stockholders from the upstate included J.I. Middleton, W.G. Atkinson, and
Hiram Hutchison, a banker who was also the
largest stockholder in the Graniteville Mills
in Aiken County, the first large-scale cotton
mill in the South.
These men formed the first Board of Di-
10
rectors for the Rock Hill Cotton Factory Co.
of York County, which was incorporated by
the state of SC in March 1880.
The creation of 1000 shares of stock valued at $100 each financed the project. A.E.
Hutchison purchased the largest share of the
stock and became the president of the enterprise. The board hired Hutchison's son
David as secretary/treasurer and another
son William Campbell Hutchison also purchased stock in the company. With the financial foundation in place, Hutchison
enlisted the help of local builder, Adley D.
Holler of Rock Hill, to construct the woodwork of the mill. R.H. Morse was contracted to handle the brick work. In early
1880 Hutchison and Holler traveled to
Greenville and took detailed measurements
of the Camperdown mill. The Cotton Factory would be driven by steam power, making it the first textile mill in York and the
first steam-powered textile mill in S.C. In
April 1880, construction of the mill began
on land purchased from the White family at
the intersection of White St. and Chatham
Ave. The location was ideal because the
Charlotte, Columbia & Augusta Railroad
running north-south was at this site. Then,
a few years later the Charleston, Cincinnati
& Chicago Railroad brought an east-west
line to town and the mill found itself conveniently located at the two lines.
The Cotton Factory began operation in
May 1881 with 3,000 spindles, and began
with 40 laborers working a single shift of 60
to 66 hours per week, most of whom were
women and children. Unskilled laborers
were paid 75 cents to $1.00 per day, while
skilled workers could receive from $1.00 to
$4.00 per day. By 1882 the mill was running
7,904 spindles and the work force had increased to 100 employees working two shifts.
Additional land was purchased from the
Steele and Rateree families and small tenement houses were built for the mill workers.
In 1885 A.D. Holler built a new warehouse
on site in which cotton was stored for the
mill. In 1886, two new stockholders were
elected, replacing Mr. Ivy and Mr. Fewell.
Mr. Chilsholm of Charleston and J.S. White
were the new board members. Three years
later, Chisholm and W.G. Atkinson declined
reelection and were replaced by F.J. Pelzer of
Charleston and John Gill of Baltimore, both
of whom were wealthy cotton factors and textile mill investors. (A cotton factor was a merchant who purchased cotton from planters
and then sold it to manufacturers on a commission basis.) The success of the Cotton Factory led to an explosion of other cotton mills
in town, beginning with the Standard Cotton
Mill in 1889 and the Globe Mill in 1890,
with J.R. London and W.L. Roddey from the
Cotton Factory being major investors and
presidents. In 1896 Arcade Mill began operation and then a year later, Manchester Mill.
Rock Hill became a leader in the Southern
textile industry, and cotton mills began
springing up in York, Clover, Fort Mill, as
well as in Chester and Lancaster Counties.
With the birth of the Cotton Factory in
1880, the population grew to 5,500 by 1890
in Rock Hill.
Growing pains came in 1898, when the
Cotton Factory found itself in financial trouble due to mechanical problems and a succession of failed cotton crops in the Piedmont.
The property was sold in July 1899 to
W.C.Hutchison and A.H. White, who began
with Crescent Cotton Mills. Over the next 50
years "the old mill" went through a series of
reorganizations and changes, which will be
highlighted in short form here, because of
limited space. In 1900, the Cohens & Friedheims purchased the mill; 1904, the factory
was sold for $34,000 to Southern Textile Co,
a NY textile group run by Ernest Brown; July
1905, the mill was purchased by Detroit textile magnate Hamilton Carhartt, the world's
largest manufacturer of work gloves and overalls, who converted the operation from steam
to electrical power, and from 1907 to 1909
began a cotton farm and another mill in the
Red River community, added a 3-story annex
and dyeing room to the Cotton Factory,
which became Hamilton Carhartt Cotton
Mill #1, famous around the world for the
denim overalls produced in Rock Hill.
Carhartt's operation prospered during the
war years as he sold products to America's allies in Europe, but there was an equally rapid
decline after the war when a global recession
hit America's plants. He signed the title to
Cutter as payment for his debts in 1925. Cutter Manufacturing Co. made denim and ticking, supplying fabrics for uniforms used by all
branches of the US military.
At the end of WW II, orders were cancelled, and Cutter sold the plant in 1946 for
$1,000,000 M.C.Goldberg and Gold-Tex Fabrics Corp. was formed. Goldberg made expensive renovations and modernizations
costing about $2,000,000, but by 1963, competition and recession forced him to close the
plant. In 1965 Sol Aberman and his son Edward of Rock Hill and Mose Samet of High
Point, NC purchased the plant and converted
the factory for the manufacture of doubleknit fabrics. By 1967, the market for doubleknits had evaporated, and again, the mill was
put up for sale.
Warehousing and retail: Ostrow Textile
Company and Plej's Outlet Sarah Ostrow, a
Russian immigrant who got her start selling
cloth from a cart on the streets of NYC---a
true "rags to riches" story, formed her business in 1912 and her son Henry Ostrow,
who relcated to Charlotte in 1963, purchased the old Cotton Factory in 1967. The
building was used for warehousing towels,
sheets and blankets, and a portion of the
space was used for Ostrow's retail business,
Plej's Textile Mill Outlet. In 1992 Ostrow
remodeled the interior of the plant, but
after struggling with rising costs and declining sales, Ostrow closed the factory in late
2000, and moved its retail outlet to a smaller
facility on Cherry Road where it operated
under the name of Plej's Linen Supermarket, until 2005, when Ostrow sold its 26
Plej's stores to Anna's Linens which operates
today.
A new beginning: Williams & Fudge
The Rock Hill Economic Development
Corp. acquired the Cotton Factory in 2001,
aggressively marketing the building to potential buyers as part of its effort to revitalize
downtown Rock Hill, particularly the "Tex-
tile Corridor." Their efforts came to fruition
in 2006, when the Cotton Factory complex
was purchased by Williams & Fudge, a Rock
Hill based student loan collection agency.
Williams & Fudge have completely renovated
the complex and converted it into modern office and retail space, while retaining much of
the historic appearance and architecture of
the buildings. On September 6, 2007, the
Culture & Heritage Museums and the City
of Rock Hill along with Williams & Fudge,
dedicated a new South Carolina historical
marker commemorating the Cotton Factory's
rich history and heritage. After 126 years of
existence, the "old Cotton Factory" still has
much to contribute to the economic and social life of both Rock Hill and York County.
MEMBERSHIP FORM
J $250 Sustaining Member
J$100 Contributing Member
J$500 Patron
$50
Family
$35
Individual
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Senior
Couple
$25
Student / Senior (65+)
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J $100 Business Membership (includes Family Membership and an ad in The Lantern)
J $50 Civic Organization (one designated member receives benefits of membership)
Name_________________________________________________________ Telephone__(______)______________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
City _______________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ___________
e-mail address_____________________________________________________________
amount paid: _________
Mail to:
date ______________ (make check payable to Historic Rock Hill)
Historic Rock Hill
PO Box 651
Rock Hill, SC 29731
Membership is valid for one year from
the month in which you join HRH
You don’t have to live in Rock Hill – or in an historic house – to be a member of Historic Rock Hill.
You just have to care about history and preserving the past!
11
HISTORIC ROCK HILL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Grazier Rhea – 327-2366
Vice President
Frank Robards – 329-2353
Susan Lyle – 327-1012
Neily Pappas – 327-7582
Betty Powell – 324-1857
Secretary
Mary Ann Aberman
327-7052
Rusty Robinson – 328-9713
John Barnes, Jr. – 328-9000
Stephen Turner – 324-0696
Treasurer
Frances Rouse – 980-2636
Paul Gettys – 329-3567
Joe Sherrill – 366-7509
Charlotte Shillinglaw
327-7024
Hal Todd - 366-5991
Staff
Wade Fairey
Executive Director
Lisa Hendrix
Director of Development
329-1020
[email protected]
The mission of Historic Rock Hill is to preserve the historic and cultural resources of the
Rock Hill, South Carolina area through protecting and restoring historic properties; preserving the written and physical evidence of
the past; encouraging the revitalization of historic neighborhoods; and educating the public
through exhibits, publications, programs and
activities.
HRH website: www.historicrockhill.com
Historic Rock Hill
PO Box 651
Rock Hill, SC 29731