Near Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Buena Vista Factory, Hutchings Factory, Lester Factory
• Site used for textile manufacturing from 1820-1935.
• The mortared stone dam spanning the Enoree River was built with six sluice gates in the 1880's. Rocky Field Creek runs from the North to the South through the mill site.
• The first mill was built in 1820 by Rev. Tomas Hutchings from Rhode Island.
• He bought the land from Charles Dean, who on November 30, 1798 was given a land grant by the state of South Carolina for 167 acres on the North side of the Enoree River, Dean sold to Hutchings on February 29, 1820.
• The Buena Vista Cotton Factory, or Hutchings Factory, had 144 spindles and burned in 1825.
• Before 1830, Josiah Kilgore and Phillip C. Lester took over the title. Lester bought out Kilgore and operated the Lester Factory. It was destroyed by fire in 1853.
• It is believed that the Mill Office was constructed in 1870.
• On February 2, 1880, Pelham Manufactruing Co. purchased 303.5 acres, cotton factory, grist mill and other property of George W. Lester at a public auction held by US Marshall Robert W. Wallace for $13,400.
• Lester and Brothers had declared bankruptcy primarily due to not modernizing as other local cotton mills did.
• In 1882, the name was changed to the Pelham Factory at Lester's Bridge. It
• The current dam was built between 1880 and 1890.
• The 1890 flood damaged the mill office and it was moved to the east side of Highway 14.
• By 1907, there were 300 employees, 10,752 spindles and 4, 359 bales of cotton were processed.
• In 1919, the mill supplemented it's water powered machinery with steam-powered machinery.
• In 1935, there were 11,112 spindles when the mill closed.
• The vacant mill was destroyed by in 1943.
• The Mill Office became the Pelham Post office from the late 1930's until 1996.
• On September 11, 2002, the Mill Office was moved to it's current site to make room for the enlargement of Highway 14.
Erected by Greenville Rec.
Location. 34° 51.464′ N, 82° 13.592′ W. Marker is near Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of State Highway 14 and East Phillips Road, on the right when traveling north. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville SC 29607, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cotton Mills (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been reported missing); Cherokee Boundary (1767) McClimons Memorial (approx. 2.3 miles away); Hugh Porter & Jane Baily McClimon (approx. 2.3 miles away); Early White Settlement / The Massacre of Jacob Hite (approx. 3 miles away); Flatwood (approx. 3.1 miles away); Graceland East Memorial Park Veterans Monument (approx. 3.3 miles away); Theron J. Hendrix Memorial Highway (approx. 3.8 miles away).
Categories. • Industry & Commerce •
Credits. This page originally submitted on , by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 491 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on , by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on , by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016.