Editor’s note: This is part of a continuing series of columns, stories and photos by Greenville County Historical Society examining the history of Greenville and the Upstate.
At first glance, mill villages built in Greenville County in the late-19th and early-20th centuries seemed like a good arrangement for working families. The textile mills provided houses, schools, churches, stores and baseball fields. The villages offered steady work and a place to live when both were hard to find. For families trying to get by, it was a practical solution – or at least it seemed that way.
But those benefits came with dependence. The company did not just employ the worker. It owned his house. It operated the store where he traded. It supported the church where he worshipped. It ran the school his children attended. If a worker lost his job, his family could lose its home and place in the community. Few employers have held that much power over so many parts of daily life…