PACOLET
MILLS
Around
1743 land grants were given to settlers in this area. The King of England gave grants of about four hundred acres to those
who came from the low country and from the north.
Most
of the families were farmers. Their
only means of transportation was by horseback, wagon, sled or on foot. Therefore, the fords and shoals were
important places to cross the river.
Around
1790, stagecoaches were coming through the area. The sparsely settled communities were connected by a network of
dusty roads and bridges.
People
were growing cotton in the area at this time, but it was not easy to get it to
market. They had to transport it by
wagon or stagecoach, and the cotton gin had not yet been invented.
In
1883, the first mill at Trough Shoals (Pacolet Mills) began operations. There were four large water wheels equal to
1200 horsepower, and the mill used 12,000 bales of cotton a year. At this time cotton was the main crop
produced in the Upstate.
The
mills provided houses, schools, churches, and stores—everything families
needed. They built the mills and then
enticed workers to come live in the villages while working there. Employees of the mill had coupon books to be
used at the company store. Payment was
guaranteed by the mill and would be deducted from the employee’s salary. A person would send a list to the store
where the order would be filled.
In
1903, a great flood damaged or destroyed the mills at Pacolet. People migrated to other mill towns to find
employment. As soon as the mills were
rebuilt workers returned to their jobs.
The “Union Church” was washed thirty-five miles downstream during the flood,
still intact.
The
first school at Pacolet Mills was in the Old City Hall, a log structure near
the present bridge. It was built in
1883. Two years later it was moved to
the basement of the Union Church building.
A new school was built in 1896 by the mill and stood high on the hill.
In 1921, a new school was built and was called “The Grand Old Lady”. It houses grades 1 – 11. It later became an elementary school and grades 7 – 12 went to Pacolet High School. This building burned down in 1971.
Sources: Joyce Brown, Personal Interview, March 2001