A Man Threads Cotton Thread Onto Spools | History of SC Slide Collection

A man threads cotton thread onto spools at the Mount Vernon Mill, 1960-62.

Courtesy of the South Carolina State Museum.

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History of SC Slide Collection / E. Economic Activity in South Carolina | History of SC Slide Collection / I. Textile Mills

The Cotton Textile Industry | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Cotton Textile Industry | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

The cotton textile industry became one of South Carolina's leading sources of income by the end of the 19th century, but it had its origins in two sets of related technological advances in the late...

The Graniteville Mill | History Of SC Slide Collection

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The Graniteville Mill | History Of SC Slide Collection

Episode 2

The Graniteville Mill, built by William Gregg (see William Gregg) in 1846, was one of the first cotton textile mills in the South, and laid the basis for the expansion of South Carolina's textile...

Eddie Norton, A Sweeper In the Saxon Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

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Eddie Norton, A Sweeper In the Saxon Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 3

Eddie Norton, a sweeper in the Saxon Mill, Spartanburg, was photographed by the child labor reformer Lewis Hine on May 17, 1912, for the U.S. Child Labor Commission. Courtesy of the National Archives...

The Woodside Cotton Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Woodside Cotton Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

The Woodside Cotton Mill in Greenville boasted in this 1913 postcard view that it was the largest complete cotton mill under one roof in America. The trolley brought mill operatives directly to the...

The Olympia and Granby Cotton Mills | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Olympia and Granby Cotton Mills | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

Not to be outdone by Greenville's claim (see The Woodside Cotton Mill), this Columbia postcard of around 1915 describes the Olympia and Granby Cotton Mills: "Olympia Mill, the largest cotton mill...

The Mount Vernon Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Mount Vernon Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

The Mount Vernon Mill, also known as the Columbia Duck Mill because it manufactured heavy cotton duck cloth, is now the site for South Carolina's State Museum. It was the first electric-powered...

The Fairfield Cotton Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Fairfield Cotton Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 7

The Fairfield Cotton Mill, built in 1898, expanded its operation with the construction of this new building in 1918. The original owners sold the plant to Hampton Cotton Mills of Greenville in 1912...

Unloading Raw Cotton At Winnsboro Mills | History of SC Slide Collection

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Unloading Raw Cotton At Winnsboro Mills | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

Unloading raw cotton from the train at the Winnsboro Mills, around 1929. Courtesy of Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Manufacturing.

Raw Cotton Is Carded In Sliver | History of SC Slide Collection

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Raw Cotton Is Carded In Sliver | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 9

Raw cotton is carded in sliver, a thick rope of cotton fibers, in the #2 plant of the Winnsboro Mills, around 1930. Courtesy of Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Manufacturing.

A Beamer At Work | History of SC Slide Collection

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A Beamer At Work | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 11

This interior view of the Mount Vernon Mill, Columbia, shows a beamer at work around 1960. Courtesy of the South Carolina State Museum.

A Slasher Works In The Hickman Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

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Kindergarten
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A Slasher Works In The Hickman Mill | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 12

A slasher works in the Hickman Mill, one of the Graniteville Mills in Aiken County, in this December 1946, photograph by J.F. Sofge. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

A Worker In Hartsville Prints Cotton Cloth | History of SC Slide Collection

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A Worker In Hartsville Prints Cotton Cloth | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 13

One of the final steps of textile manufacture is printing the design on the cloth. Here a worker in Hartsville prints cotton cloth during the 1930s. Works Progress Administration file photo. Courtesy...

Winnsboro Mills Research Laboratory | History of SC Slide Collection

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Winnsboro Mills Research Laboratory | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 14

The Winnsboro Mills maintained a research laboratory as well as a production plant at their Fairfield County headquarters. This laboratory was set up around 1930, and photographed by William F. Cone...