The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-11
PIEDMONH AND IFS PEOPLE.
a Model Mill City on the Saluda
RiVer--Its EducatIonaIA Advantages
Free Library and Historical So

River--Its Educational ADVANTAGES
Free Library and Historical So
ciety.
Piedmont Headlight.
The name Of Piedmont is suggestive.
With it is associated the name Of adds
tinguished deceased citizen of Green
vile County, the founder of the cotton
factory enterprise at this place. Also
the name OF the now president Of the
company, Col. James l.. Orr, whose ad-
mlnlstratlon has made his name a
household word among the i 1000 people
who form the population of this model
factory town.
In 1872 the first mill, No. /, was be-
gun building and the mill started in
March, 1876. Mill No. 2 was built in
1851 ana started the latter year. Mill
NO. was commenced May 13, 1896, and
started, producing the first cloth, Feb.
26, 1896. These three buildings are
Joined together and now appear as one
structure 500 feet long by So rs and l03
feet wide, respectively four stories
high, and contain 35, 46S spindles.
| No. 3 mill is just across the oaluda
river at the other end of the dam ip
| Anderson County, and is a building 2SY
feet long by 100 feet wide, four stories,
commenced in 1885 and started Deocm-
Der, 1889, and contains 1880 spindlcs,
making total plant Of S,98S spin les.
Lhcse mills are on opposite banks Of
the majestic Saluda river, | | miles from
Grccnv'lle, and miles above Pelzer, on
Sme GreenVllle and Columbia railroad
mere arc over 400 operatives dwelling
houses Of 3, I, 6 and s rooms each. hor.
'zontal wcat -boarding and plaster
ed, which arc rented at so cents per
room. Ihere are six good sized frame
STORE buildings, four Of which are occu
plcd oy separate firms with general
stocks OF goods, and two with drugs,
The company owns between tw clve and
thirteen hundred acres of land, most OF
which is on the Anderson county side
Of the river.
The capital stock of the company is
$500, 900, but the value of the plant is
far in excess Of that sum.
There are three nourishing churches
Of the Baptist, Methodist and Proshy
terian denominations, and a commodi
Gus two story frame hotel, situated or
an elevation which commands view
Of the whole town site and much OF the
surrounding country. This house i:
kept by Mrs Nj. A. Galloway, formcrl,
proprietress Of the Chick Springs hotel
and is one Of tho places in South Caro-
lima where you can enjoy good sqlart
meal three times q day, and q It'd,
room and comfortable bed. There are
two good roomy school houses, equipped
with the latest and most approved
furnishings.
One OF the most important features
, Of this place is the public educationa
facilities that the the company has pro
vlded, which is perhaps second to none
in town of equal size in the State
Prof. }. l. Eskewis superintendent, and
, principal of the 4th grade on the Green
Tillc side. Miss Mamie Grant, Of Mays
vile, Sumter County, has charge of the
Bird grade, OF three graded classes: Miss
Mary Hillhouse, Of Greenville, 2nd
grade Of two graded classes, and Miss
Mamie Donald in charge OF tho prima
ry department. At this school there
are upward Of 1870 pupils. On the An.
derson County side Is school equally
as large under the same superintend.
ent, of which Miss Nan Crayton, OF
Pendleton, S. G., is principal. Her de.
partment is called the 3rd grade, but
has four graded classes at work. Miss
Lula Philips, Of Pickens County, has
charge Of the intermediate department
of two grades, and Miss Fannie Horton,
OF Bolton, has the primary department,
two grades. There arc in all about 3 0
pupils attending these schools, or 10 per
cent. of the population.
There is decided literary tendency
noticeable here over the usual factory
population, which may be rightly cred
tied largely to the fact that the COM
pany maintains free library of over
$500 volumes, which is increased year
ly 500 volumes by an annual allowance
by the company for that purpose.
Mr.. A. S. Rowell, oversecrof the cloth
department, is the librarian and has
been for sixteen years. Mr.. Rowell is
o literary character ana has recently
published book entitled "Thc Silver
Bullet" that is destined to take high
rank among the publications of the
time. The librarian informed tho
writer that the average Is i75 volumes
taken out per week, which shows O.