I Love My Heritage…. God, Family, Country, and Dunean Dynamos

I Love My Heritage….
God, Family, Country,
and
Dunean Dynamos
by
Dr. Marshall D. Williams
Acknowledgements
1
Dedication
2
Introduction
4
I.
The Pioneer ~ Captain Ellison Adger Smyth
II.
The Plan ~ Produce The Highest Quality Cotton Product
17
III.
The Plant ~ A “Million Dollar” Total Electric Mill
19
IV.
The People ~ Committed To God, Country, and Dunean
60
V.
The Places ~ Living In Our Memories
164
VI.
The Product ~ Used Around The World
236
VII.
The Programs ~ Howard, Thomas, Wilbanks, and Williams
252
7
VIII. The Past ~ Never To Be Forgotten
340
IX.
376
The Present ~ Preserving Our Textile Heritage
Bibliography
403
Research Resources
405
Periodicals
406
Photographic Resources
406
Endnotes
407
Note: The Information Contained In This Site Is Taken From The Book:
Dunean ~ I Love My Heritage…
God, Family, Country, and Dunean Dynamos
All information and pictures are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced
without the permission of the Dunean Historical Society.
The Pioneer
“What doth the Lord require of thee,
But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
Micah 6:8
“Captain Ellison Adger Smyth‟s philosophy of life…
a simple, yet full, statement of the emotions which actuated his efforts.”
When one reflects upon the history of Dunean and the textile industry in the upstate of South
Carolina, the name of Ellison Adger Smyth becomes commonplace among the capitalists,
industrialists, merchants, and bankers developing the Greenville area into the Textile Center of
the South…later, “Textile Center of the World.” Although this individualistic industrial giant‟s
name never appeared on any of the 20 textile mills he either founded, organized, and directed,
Captain Smyth, as he was affectionately called by his family and business associates, was also, at
one time or another, director of 36 different corporations. At the time of the founding and
organization of the Dunean Mill, he owned 75% of the Greenville Daily News. He would sell
the News to B.H. Peace in 1923. Known as a risk-taker, visionary, and innovator, he was a man
with an uncanny ability to know “when to buy and build, and then when to stop and sell.” When
he was a boy, his father asked him and his two beloved brothers, James Adger and Augustine
Thomas, what were their ambitions in life? To which Capt. Smyth replied, “To be a rich man,
have a big house, and have my family and friends to come and visit me. James Adger became a
successful cotton merchant and mayor of Charleston. Augustine Thomas became a very
prominent and successful corporate attorney and State Senator. The “e” was added later to the
Smyth name…supposedly by one of his brothers. The Captain, however, never desired that his
ancestral name be changed.
Capt. Smyth entered a busy retirement as a multi-millionaire in 1926. He moved from
Greenville, his home for 40 years, to his beautiful estates in Flat Rock, North Carolina. He
planned to reside full-time at his beloved summer retreat of 25 years and mountain 400 acre farm
“Connemara,” whose grounds were laid out and the original home built under the direction of his
Charleston friend, Col. C.G. Meminger, a prominent attorney and former secretary of the of the
Confederate Treasury. The Captain had his big house. His many friends and large family often
came to visit. Capt. Smyth called himself a farmer, specializing in hogs, cattle, colts, and poultry.
Turkeys were his specialty and hundreds roamed the lawn of “Connemara.” Another pleasure of
his retirement years was the affectionate enjoyment of constant companions, two Collie dogs,
Mike and Laddie. The beautiful and inspiring “Connemara,” named after an ancestral county in
Ireland, would later become the home of author Carl Sandburg. Today, the home is on the
Historical Registry and the estate is a National Park.
The Plant
“A Mammoth Million-Dollar Total Electric Mill…A Model Plant Driven By White Coal”
With local capital in hand, 237.29 acres of land two miles southwest of the county
courthouse was purchased from Anna Bynum, J. Edward Earle, Richard H. Earle, heirs of James
Fields, Martha Kane, Melrose Land Company, and O.P. Mills for approximately $50,000. The
Board of Directors hired J. E. Sirrine, a local engineer who was rapidly becoming known as the
“architect of mills,” to draw the plans for the mill. Sirrine and Company were to act as site
engineers. Sirrine, in his 1911 lecture to The American Cotton Manufacturers Association on the
topic of Modern Mill Construction, described the site as “a peculiarly favorable one and
splendidly adapted to convenient arrangement and economical construction of buildings…it‟s
design representing a splendid type of modern mill construction. It is on a high plateau the top
of which is nearly level, the being only enough slope for drainage.”
The Greenville Daily News reported on Sunday morning March 26, 1911, that the
Greenville Brick Manufacturing Company was awarded the contract to furnish five million grey
brick to be laid in black mortar that would be used in the construction of the “Dunean Cotton
Mills.” Mr. W. Marlon Pack, Greenville Brick secretary and manager noted that the Dunean
contract was the largest of the kind ever let to a South Carolina firm. The brick would come from
a plant at Brackton, Henderson County, North Carolina. It would require 350 freight cars to carry
the brick to Greenville and the Dunean site.
The question, until this research, was „why‟ was light grey colored brick used? Most all
mills used a red brick for construction purposes. Not at Dunean. The use of light grey brick laid
in black mortar was unlike anything ever seen in Greenville before and a combination which
would produce a most pleasing appearance. Those who had seen these type brick laid in black
mortar in other parts of the country noted that the effect was most beautiful. When the Dunean
Mills would be completed, it would be one of the „handsomest‟ structures of the kind. A later
News article reinforced the dream of Capt. Ellison Smyth that the “Dunean Plant will be one of
the most beautiful structures in the whole country.” The News headlines on Tuesday morning
April 11, 1911, announced:
“Dunean Mill Will be a Matchless Structure from a Point of Beauty”
The contract for the construction of the Dunean Cotton Mills was let on Monday, April
10, 1911, during a meeting of the Directors at the offices of Dunean Mills located in the Masonic
Temple. The building contracting firm of Fiske, Carter, and Company of Worchester,
Massachusetts, and Greenville submitted the lowest bid among six or seven bidders and was
awarded the contract for the „mammoth‟ Dunean Mills. This same firm had been engaged some
years earlier to build the Woodside Cotton Mills. At the time of the Dunean contract, they were
working in Westminster, South Carolina. The contract called for the completion of the mill by
October 15, 1911. Equipment for the new plant was provided by the following firms:
Pickers - Kitson Machine Shop.
Carding, Drawings, Roving , and Spinning – Saco-Pette Company
Combers – Whitin Machines
Spoolers – Saco – Pettee
Warpers – Lowell Machine Shop
Twisters and Slashers – Lowell Machine Shop
Looms – Crompton-Knowles Loom Works
Cloth Room Machinery – Curtis and marble
Fire Protection and Heating – General Fire Extinguisher Company
Electric Machinery – General Electric Company
Humidifiers and Regulators – Stuart W. Cramer
Shafting – Jones and Laughlin
J.P. Stevens and Company of New York would become the selling agents for the Dunean
products. Reflection on these contracts reveals the close connection to the Board of Directors and
other northern investors…a companionship that would characterize Dunean Mills and village
until it merged with J.P. Stevens in 1946.
After The Melrose Land Company signed off on April 25th and Mrs. Janie A. Earle
signed the papers on May 8, 1911, construction began in late May. The News later reported that
the Dunean plant was an added “feather” to Greenville‟s industrial cap. Two front page editorial
cartoons in April, 1911 depicted Dunean‟s place in the expanding Greenville skyline and
industrial scene. Dunean was most notably different in size, goals, and leadership than other
textile mills in the Greenville area.
In the Pelzer community Capt. Smyth could often been seen stopping his buggy to pick
up cotton that had fallen off the farmer‟s wagons. He would then take the cotton to the
gin…knowing that ultimately it meant more yarn and fabric for the mill. Those founding
attitudes towards efficiency and excellence would be the guiding factors that allowed Dunean to
rise to the pinnacle of the textile industry and remain there until its buyout in the 1990‟s.
Lighting conditions in the Dunean Mills were considered excellent. Along with the
sawtooth weave room roof, all of the rooms of the mills had an over-plus of window space. Capt.
Smyth had learned from his Pelzer Mills the need for incandescent lighting for a mill to run more
efficiently. The Dunean Mills were also equipped with the Stuart W. Cramer type of
automatically controlled humidifiers. At Capt. Smyth‟s insistence, the steadiness of the Dunean
Mills‟ electrical drive, the humidifier system, and excellent lighting contributed toward making
the work run exceptionally well. Producing the planned expensive fine combed cotton products
was becoming a reality. Practically all of the cotton used at the Dunean Mills in its early years
came from the Mississippi Delta. It was finest long staple cotton, such as Pima, Peruvian, and
Egyptian, that could be purchased for the manufacturing pique, fancy shirt and handkerchief
materials. Quality in production proved to be the key to success. Prior to the establishment and
widespread success of the Dunean Mills, the impression prevailed in textile circles that Southern
mill folk could not make the fine grade cotton goods such as had been manufactured only in New
England for years. Those impressions were disproven many times with the vast quantities of
beautiful shirtings and similar fabrics made at Dunean, Judson Mills, Watts Mill of Laurens,
South Carolina, and a plant in Alta Vista, Virginia. While touring the spinning room at the
Dunean Mills, onevisitor noted the plant‟s efficiency…not one end was down on any of the
spinning frames.
The People
“Living Midst the Hum of Their Industry…”
From its inception, the Dunean plant was the heart from which the „life-blood of the
community emanated.‟ Being a one-industry village, all events, interests, and activities of the
community were secondary to the plant‟s operations. Filling the employment needs led Capt.
Smyth on various recruiting trips. A Dunean post card dated 1913, was sent back to Chicago,
Illinois, to remind family and friends that work was going well at the new mill. Finding local
workers proved easier by the time the mill was began operations. Being one of the last initial
Greenville textile plants to be constructed, the pool of experienced workers was large enough
that many “operatives” moved from other local and regional mill villages to begin their tenure at
Dunean. From Northeast Georgia, Western North Carolina, and the Piedmont of South Carolina,
untrained and uneducated folks came looking for a better life.
Approximately one third of the village homes were built by the summer and fall of 1912.
By late 1920 forty-one new homes were being built. Nearly two hundred and seventy-five
families were then living in the “hearty, open, and friendly” Dunean community that surrounded
the enterprising Dunean Mills. As the 1930‟s approached, several thousand people were living in
585 attractive well-built, well-screened homes on the Dunean village. Smyth had discovered that
employees at Pelzer seldom used the upper rooms of the story and half village homes. He saw
that as wasting space and cost in building. From that point all operatives‟ homes on Capt.
Smyth‟s villages were single story homes. The “Super‟s” home, as well as other top management
homes, were one and a half, two, or more stories and multi-roomed. Homes at Dunean were
originally rent free, were kept in good repair, and clearly numbered. Later, employees were
charged 25¢ a room per week or 75¢ per room per month. Homes with three, four, five, and six
rooms were assigned to employees according to their job classification. There were four
boarding houses on the village: 4 Allen Street-managed by Mrs. Owens; 8 Allen Street-managed
by Mrs. Simmons; 30 Duke Street-managed by Mrs. Enloe; and 43 Hutchins Street, managed by
Mrs. Holland. During the summer of 1928, every house on the village was painted. Paved
sidewalks allowed the children walking to school and hundreds of people walking to work each
day to arrive at school and work with „dry feet.‟ To prevent villagers and employees from
contracting illnesses associated with damp feet, all streets were eventually paved, curbed, and
guttered.
A
corps
of
workers
kept
the
streets
clean,
weeds
kept
down,
and
papers picked up. Uniform and painted garbage cans were emptied frequently and regularly.
Street names such as Hutchins, Smythe, Emery, Allen, Blake, Duke, Wallace, Hale, Kelley,
Stevens, Whitin, Smith, Taylor, Webb, Welch, Bynum, Seyle, Adger, Cardwell, Cely, Madden,
Badger, Henry, Bagwell, Gallon, and Wrigley reflected the names of organizers, investors,
stockholders, and plant officials. All streets were clearly marked and periodically scraped. Even
the back alleys were scraped so that folks getting to their „auto houses‟ (garages) on the back of
their lots would not be inconvenienced during rainy weather. Attractive gold-lettered signs at
each end of the village on the Piedmont Highway (later, the Atlanta highway) read “Entering
Dunean” on one side and “Leaving Dunean” on the other side.
Visitors to the community were impressed with the cleanliness, garbage disposal, and
high degree of sanitation maintained throughout the Dunean village. The abundant and clean
water supply coming from the Greenville Water Works allowed homes to have fresh water,
indoor plumbing, and sanitary sewage connections. One author noted that Dunean was not only
clean physically, but morally. After living in numerous communities throughout America, he had
never seen a community with less crime. While visiting in Philadelphia in the summer of 1928,
one young lady who had spent most of her life at Dunean was describing her life on the Dunean
village to a new friend. When she finished, the friend remarked, “Why should one wish to go to
heaven when he can live in Dunean.” About the same time, another man who had lived at
Dunean for sixteen years had an attractive offer to move to a mill village in a neighboring state.
He refused the offer, stating that he did not want to leave a village which had proven to be an
ideal place to live and rear his family. My generation heard the story of the young lad who had
been told that if he minded and was a “good little boy,” when he grew up he might get to move
to Dunean and work at the mill.
Several ingredients are needed to complete a good and delicious recipe…and so it was
with the development of the Dunean community. Good working conditions with strong
leadership, happy and content workers, good churches, good schools, varied and enthusiastic
village activities, active community organizations, clean and pure water, and good roads
characterized the „beautiful and modern‟ Dunean village.
A good spirit of cooperation prevailed throughout the mill and village. A clean and
efficiently operated mill allowed workers to develop an esprit de corp which made for happiness
and contentment. Every employee knew that he or she had access to this overseer,
superintendent, manager, or president with the assurance that they would be given a sympathetic
hearing. The Mill News reported in its October, 14, 1920, issue that the company had adopted a
“unique” system of business education among employees. Each week the employees‟ pay
envelope included a little card that “carried a sermon in a few words.” Each employee had been
furnished with an attractive scrap book. A prize was offered to the person who had kept the most
complete and neatest scrapbook which he or she presented at the end of the year. The series of
cards were known as “Fifty-two Success Talks.”
The Village…
One of the earliest written records of the Dunean community can be found in the Mill
News, The Great Southern Weekly for Textile Workers, Vo. XXII, no. 16, October, 14, 1920. The
article noted the company‟s desire for an attractive village. In February, 1920, the company
planted 1200 fruit trees and 750 shade trees throughout the village. The people kept splendid
gardens…prizes were offered for the best kept premises and gardens.
The headline read, “Big Saving for Dunean People.” For the purpose of insuring the
preservation of the largest amount of fruit and vegetable, mill officials, in early July, 1917,
arranged for the services of several expert canners to operated
a cannery for its
employees…done at actual cost only for the cans and jars. It was reported to be the first mill
village in the Greenville area to undertake the community canning club. Over 1,000 cans of fruit
and vegetables were preserved during the first week of operation. By early fall 33,000 cans and
jars were processed including 15,000 cans of fruits and vegetables, 12,000 jars of fruit preserves,
and 6,000 glasses of jelly. By the time of the Community Fair in November, Miss Alice
Mackey, Community Welfare Worker, reported over 40,000 cans and jars had processed by the
“competent hands of expert canners and heartiest cooperation of the housewives of Dunean.
The Dunean Boarding House / Y.W.C.A. / Community House / Apartment House…
The beautiful wide-porched two-story facility was completed at a cost of $ 26,000 in late
summer 1918, under the direction of mill President Capt. James Adger Smyth and his father,
Vice-President Capt. Ellison Adger Smyth. Their deep concern for the welfare of mill operatives
and the passionate encouragement of village welfare worker, Miss Alice Mackey, led the mill
management to open the facility solely as a boarding house for women and girls of the village
while the men were with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. It served that purpose for
the duration of World War I. Following the signing of the armistice, it was leased to the National
Y.W.C.A. for the experimental purposes. The experiment was the practicality of a Y.W.C.A.
organization in a mill village. The newly redecorated, refurnished, and reequipped facility
opened in June, 1919, by the National Board of the Young Women‟s Christian Association. It
was the first Y.W.C.A. building to be opened at any cotton mill village in South Carolina.
Numerous clubs and social organizations, as previously noted, transferred their
headquarters to this splendid building. It was “beautifully decorated and fitted up” by a special
decorator from Atlanta. A wide brick mantle, beautiful pictures adorning tinted soft cream walls,
artistically draped windows, dark wicker furniture with bright chintz upholstering, dark brow
beams and pillars, fumed oak tables, and a number of beautiful electrical lamps and lights
welcomed admirers from the village and all across the Greenville community. It was thoroughly
equipped with modern conveniences, steam heated, and shower baths. It had an unusually well
equipped modern kitchen which could serve 200 people with ease. Quarterly banquets given by
the mill to the employees and village residents were “looked to with much pleasure.” Spacious
assembly rooms were on the first floor and living quarters on the second. Music, readings, and
brief speeches entertained guests. Sunday evenings were filled with vespers.
The building contained a large lobby, first aid room, a library, information bureau, and a
number of club rooms for the forty plus clubs and classes offered to villagers. Afternoon times
were for the children and youth, while the evening hours were for the “grown folks.” Miss Alice
Mackey was the first hostess. The following were the original standing committees. The
Recreation Committee included Kathleen Bagwell, chairman; Marie Donnan, Grace Jones, Nell
Morse, and Mrs. Paul Glenn. The House Committee was chaired by Mrs. Whit Dendy. Members
were Mrs. J.N. Badger, Mrs. O.B. Brasil, Mrs. C.N. Wallace, Mrs. Worrell, Gussie Shannon, and
Miss Annie Brown. The Program Committee included Miss Alice Mackey, Mrs. Vickery, Mrs.
Jim Green, Bertie Gilliam, Ethel Robertson, and Grace Lankford. The Publicity Committee was
chaired by Miss Beulah Martin. Members were Mrs. Wood, Rose Morgan, Jessie Green, Litha
Davis, and Mary Jackson. The committee in charge of the Y.W.C.A. at Dunean was Mrs. W.C.
Cleveland, Mrs. H.J. Haynsworth, Miss Ellen Perry, Mrs. Whit Dendy, and Mrs. J.N. Badger.
The experiment lasted a year and was determined to be unsuccessful.
The Company Store, Drug Store, Café, Barber Shop, Shoe Shine Stand, and Playground…
The Dunean Mills began, in July, 1919, to operate their own store. Located on the ground
floor in the old storage building on Stevens Street, it was not started as a money-making affair.
Essential goods were sold at a cost with barely enough profit to pay the expense of running the
store. Non-essential goods, like tobacco and soft drinks were sold at prevailing prices. Also on its
shelves were shirting, voiles, and other fine fabrics made at the plant. It was run on a cash basis.
Coupon books from the mill offices could be used and the purchases would be charged against
the wage account of the employee. A manager, three clerks, and a delivery man were employed
at the store. An up-to-date drug store with an attractive soda fountain for “beaus and belles” was
also available in the same building.
The Past
“Memories Can Never Be Taken From Us…Only Left For Us To Enjoy"
The winds of heaven have carried Dunean people and products to the “four corners of the
earth.” Many of our products have touched the realms of outer space. It seems that no matter
where you find yourself around the globe, someone from Dunean is near and dear. Folks get into
conversations and it is not long until some mention of Greenville, S.C., or Parker High School,
or Dunean enters the discussion and memories take over. From my experiences, as ministry
opportunities would begin to unfold, my inevitable question was, “how far is this place from 40
Duke Street.” My parents and home have always been my reference point. So, my memories and
remembrances focus around my life at Dunean. Everyone has their Walton‟s Mountain, or
Walnut Grove, or Mayberry…for me, it was Dunean.
As the late Jean Dixon Hughes noted in her History of Dunean…at the mention of Dunean,
vivid memories come to mind. She noted many experiences that were so familiar to several
generations of Dynamos…many more are noted to fill our memories…

Pride in God, Family, Country, and Dunean

4th of July Celebrations chasing the chickens and greasy pig or searching for pennies

Giant Fireworks displays on the 4th of July at the old ball park at the end of Wallace

5¢ rides on the Streetcar around the Beltline and back

Hot Dog Suppers, Halloween Carnivals, and PTA Meetings at Dunean Elementary

The Fishing Club Banquets and Prizes at the School and later at The Southerner

Playing golf on the sand greens

Dave Putnam‟s last second “half court” shot before 4,000+ to beat Pelzer by 1 point in
the 1952 “A” Team S.T.B.T. Championship game (His only points in the game)

Dave Putnam‟s last second “half court” shot before 4,000+ to beat Pelzer by 1 point in
the 1952 “A” Team S.T.B.T. Championship game (His only points in the game)

Leaving your house and car unlocked…neighbors may have needed a cup of sugar

Having family vegetable gardens in your backyard

Parking your car in your own “auto house”
Note: Several pages of these and other memories can be seen in the book!
2008 brought deserved recognition for the 2000 inductees…
Ernest Milsap
Retired after 71 years of employment with the Dunean Plant.
Becky Carroll Kay
was selected as
One of Greenville’s 25 Most Beautiful Women
and
Mental Health of America ~ National Volunteer of the Year
Opportunities are almost unlimited for reminding future generations of our storied, historical,
and wonderful past. The bringing together of information and photographs included in this book
is only the beginning of recording a life that will never be relived…only remembered with pride
and love of our Heritage…God, Family, Country, and Dunean Dynamos.
Dunean Memorabilia and Gift Items
available through the Dunean Historical Society
Beth Roddy, Chairperson
33 Smythe Avenue
Greenville, South Carolina 29605
(864) 269-0579
Dunean Book
Years of pictorial research, miles of microfilm, hundreds of hours of
conversations, and countless questions have been answered to bring
together our wonderful Dunean story in this one-of-a-kind masterpiece
by Dr. Marshall D. Williams
Cost of Book: $ 35.00
Commemorative Dunean Elementary School
Collector’s Plate
In early 1924, Dunean Mill donated land at the corner of
Blake, Duke, and Smith streets to the Parker School District
for the construction of Dunean Elementary School. At a cost of $
55,000, the school contained 18 classrooms, an office, and a
teachers’ room. J. H. Anderson was the first principal. School
enrollment for the first year was 634 pupils.
Cost of Commemorative Plate: $ 25.00
Hand Painted Wooden Cutout of Dunean Elementary School
By Judy Young
Cost of Cutout: $ 40.00
It seemed as if everyone on the village had some
kind of nickname…so, Mush Roddy began to keep
a log of all the names of friends, schoolmates,
teammates, opposing players, coaches, etc…1,500 in
all…who were called by a nickname. Many people
were so well known by their nicknames that few if any
knew their given name…first or last. Today, his son
Charles displays all the names in a booklet for
everyone to enjoy trying to put a face with a name.
Cost of Booklet: $ 6.00