Newspaper Page Text
MONDAY. JULY 27.
THE EVOLUTION OF A SOUTHERN COTTON MUX
The Graniteville Manufacturing Company, a fine example of what capital in the South is doing in a manufacturing way and what lead
ing companies are doing to make its employees happy and prosperous. President T. I. Hickman emphasizes one particular product of
Graniteville above all others and calls the especial attention of Cotton Mill critics to this particular product, which he terms 4 ‘Graniteville
•Boys.” No manufacturing concern in this or any other country has a happier, more contented and prosperous set of employees than are
found at Graniteville.
The Story of The Granitevilie
Manufacturing Company
“Cotton”’ the leading trade journal
at the cotton industry, recently had a
representative in this city and at
Graniteville writing a story of the ev
olution of the great cotton industry. A
representative of the Herald read the
article from "Cotton’’ and himself vis
ited Graniteville and found the con
ditions equally as favorable. And that
everybody may know of the Granite
ville Manufacturing Co. and Its mag
nificent work this article is published
- in full.
The Southern cotton mills are in a
class by themselves. The building and
operation of a mill in a locality
abounding with similar plants, where
trained operatives may be had for the
asking, is one proposition; while
equipping and conducting such a mill
In a section where “The factory’’ is a
thing unknown and the operatives,
j farmers' families who must be taught
, -bow to do the work, is quite another
/proposition. We use the verb in the
j jpresent tense advisedly as the evolu
-ton in Southern cotton manufactur
ng is still going on and in many sec
dons new operatives have to be
aught from the beginning.
A Mississippi manufacturer re
cently made the statement that with
the exception of his overseers and
their families, no operative In his
mill had ever been inside of another
nill. It is a well-known fact that the
best operatives stay with a mill after
they once get settled and it is this
stability of character which has built
j up pt the older mills that personal
■ understanding between the manage-
I ment and the operatives that was
u.i~c so valuable an asset in the
mills of New England.
In some mills today, the manage
ment has lost that personal touch
■vith the growth of the mill in size,
/hlle in many other mills, particular-
V 'in the South, it is still retained,
-s an illustration of such a plant
robably no better example could be
elected than the mills of the Gran
eville Manufacturing Company,
hieh was one of the pioneer mil's
f the South.
When approached on this subject,
resident Hickman, of the Granite
ille Company, was rather embar
assed at being asked to write about,
is own mills, but finally agreed to
ct as collaborator in the preparation
f the present article.
The history of the Graniteville
tanufacturing Company, from the
a>s of its inception (1845) up to
167, at the time of the death o“ Wil
im Gregg, is almost synonymous
•ith the history of this remarkable
lan.
Mr. Gregg was born in 1800, in
onongahela County, Northwestern
irginia, of Scotch descent, and was,
om his early youth, interested In
>e manufacture of cotton. In 1827
? went to Columbia, S. C., and e -
blished himself In business, and by
Hiring energy and economy, accu
ulated a small amount of money,
e subsequently moved near Aiken
id built a summer home, which he
med ’’Calmia” —after the beautiful
iwer of the family of the mountain
lrel, which blooms in such profu
)n in the Spring, in and around
•anltevllle.
In 1845 he made application to the
jislature of the State of South Caro
a for a charter of incorporation fop
e Graniteville Manufacturing Com-
"j™ '' ~ ' * ' ■- mmmmmmmmmm
GRANITEVILLE ACADEMY operated by the Graniteville Mfg. 00., a principal and ten teachers having charge of these children of the operatives of the mill. 2 GRANITEVILLE
MILITARY BA ND—Members are all employees. Since feature was made four young lady employees have been added to the band. 3—GRANITEVILLE MFG. CO. MILL NO. 1 built in 1846, but additions have
been twice made. 4—GRANITEVILLE MFG. CO. MILL NO. 2at Vaucluse, S. C.—s GRANITEVILLE MFG. CO’S. MILL NO. 3at Graniteville, 3. C.
pany. For the first three years af
ter that time, he worked diligently,
without any remuneration whatever,
in planning and laying out the vil
lage and the mill—it taking nearly
this length of time to complete the
whole enterprise.
The factory first started out with
about 9,000 spindles, and just before
the war between the states it was in
creased to 24.000 spjndles, and until
the time of the war it was success
ful.
. 1
HP* v i * Mm.
MB' Bgfe . I
Mm,. irllimiiP’
MR. T. I. HIKCMAN,
President.
At the time Mr. Gregg started to
work in manufacturing, In 1845, peo
ple had little or no confidence in the
manufacture of cotton in this country,
and especially in the South. While
he strove to make his project profit
able, from a pecuniary point of view',
he did not neglect the welfare of those
whom he employed to carry out his
plans, but saw to their religious, in
tellectual and moral development.
While Mr. Gregg was probably the
pioneer manufacturer of South Caro
lina, on any large scale, he was also
deeply interested in agriculture and
was for many years a member of the
Beech Island Farmers’ Club, of South
Carolina.
Upon the death of Mr. Gregg, in
1867, the late Hamilton H. Hickman
was elected president of the Granite
ville Manufacturing ■ Company, and
presided over its destiny until 1898.
During - that time he practically reno
vated the entire property, paid off its
Indebtedness and nearly doubled its
capacity, besides paying $1,960,000 in
dividends. The first year lie took
charge of the plant, they manufac
tured 5,536 bales of cotton and the
last year of his presidney, 15,332 bales
of cotton were manufactured. The
stock advanced from S6O a share to
$l5O, and the surplus of the company
was equal to the capital stock, when
he retired from business. It was dur
ing this time that the Vaucluse Mill,
known as Mill No. 2, was built.
In 189 ST. I. Hickman was elected
president of the company- to succeed his
father, who retired at that lime. The
younger Mr. Hickman was brought up
under his father's direction, and has de
voted practically his whole life to the
manufacture of cotton.
The new mill, known as Mill Mo. 3,
or the Hickman Mill (so named in honor
of the late H. H. Hickman), was bul.t
by T. I. Hickman after he became presi
dent of the Graniteville Manufacturing
Company.
This company, therefore, from a small
beginning of about 9,000 spindles, lias to
day, after 67 years, 57,000 spindles and 1,-
700 looms and has one of the most te
markable records as a dividend paying
institution of any in the whole Soutn.
However, the making of money
has not been the primary object of
this company, as its operatives are
probably the best cared for of any in
the South —certainly none better. At
Graniteville today there are four
churches, with a mill population of
3,000 people. It has a school with a
yearly enrollment v of 350 children.
There, also, is a beautiful clubhouse
or hall, known as the Hickman Me
morial Hall, which is one of the hand
somest buildings of its kind in the
South, and which is devoted exclusive
ly to the pleasure and amusement of
the worners in this cotton mill town.
In this building, which has equipment
for every feature of club-life—billiard
room, ten-pin alleys, swimming-pool,
library, gymnasium and hall for danc
ing—a lyceum course such as is given
in all the nearby cities, Columbia,
Charleston and Augusta, is provided
for the people, giving at least six or
eight numbers during the year, and
these are absolutely free to every em
ploye of the company.
This club-house is also used for
meetings of men and women of vari
ous organizations, associations and
clubs; and here, two nights in each
week are devoted to dancing, one night
to gymnasium, and the other nights
to such forms of entertainment as
may come before the hal! committee.
The directors of the Graniteville
Manufacturing Company do not con-
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA.
trol the hall. This is in the hands of
a committee selected yearly by the
president of the company, most of
whom are actively employed by the
company and work with their hands in
the mills every day. The company
has found this to be an excellent ar
rangement, as the control of this body
of men is absolute and yet satisfac
tory to the entire people, and makes
them feel as if they are being con
trolled by themselves; in other words,
democracy.
The company has also an Industrial
School, where there is employed a
matron, a trained nurse and a domes
tic science teacher; it likewise en
courages and co-operates with a Mili
tary Band in the village. It also op
erates a school at its upper plant at
Vaucluse, where there are 50 or more
children enrolled. In order to enable
the people of Vaucluse, who are three
miles from Graniteville, to attend the
entertainments given at the Hickman
Memorial Hall, an automobile truck
makes continuous trips between the
two villages. , until all those who de
sire to attend, have been safely trans
ported. This same truck also daily
conveys the larger children of Vau-
WILLIAM GREGG.
Founder of Graniteville Mfg. C.
eluse dow-n to Graniteville, in order to
enable them to get the benefit of the
splendid school at the latter place.
There are at Vaucluse two churches
and a Masonic Hall, which the com
pany has erected.
The Masons and Knights of Py
thias own a hail at Graniteville which
has, in addition to the rooms for tho
meetings of these orders, a complete
ly equipped little theater, where
from time to time traveling compa
nies give > performances. The mill
company of course always fees to it,
that these are of such character as
shall be helpful and wholesome,
rather than degrading to the people.
The company not only employs a
trained nurse, but maintains a com
plete scavenger service, and its wa
ter supply is probably the very best
in the state. It comes from springs
just under a high hill, which can not
possibly be contaminated, and be
sides the water being clear as crystal
and delightful for drinking and bath
ing purposes, it is analyzed every
three months by the state chemist of
South Carolina, and so far their re
ports show nothing but the very pur
est condition.
The Graniteville Manufacturing
Company owns about 15,000 acres of
land, or 21 square miles. Of this
property, about 4,000 acres are araoie
land, of which 2,000 acres are either
cultivated directly by the company or
rented to tenants. At the plantation
headquarters is operated a modern
and up-to-date gin, which not only
gins the cotton raised on tile planta
tion, but that of the public generally.
The plantation headquarters itself
looks like a small town, with its
barns, gin, seed-houses, and cattle
sheds. Every year about 150 head of
cattle are bought by the company
and fed at the plantation, which pays
a good profit in feeding and is very
valuable in improving the character
of the soil. In this w'ay a great deal
of the land has been brought to pro
duce a bale of cotton to the acre, and
the time is /probably not far distant
when this will be greatly exceeded.
The company this year raised 6,000
bushels of corn and 250 bales of cot
ton, on its own place, beside the
quantity received from its tenants.
All of the arable land will probably
be ultimately cleared and occupied
by tenant farmers.
The balance of the property, which
is not occupied by the mill villages
and water courses, ha 3 been planted
in young pines, most of which are
now in about the tenth year of
growth. These are very carefully
guarded and protected from fire, and
in the course of time will be a very
valuable asset to the company. The
government has been very kind in
aiding in this worK or reforestration,
and has given an immense amount of
valuable advice and counsel, besides
sending a man down to look over the
property.
Tile mill cottages are absolutely com
fortable and each has half an acre f
ground space, which in tho Spring
and Summer is beautiful to see,
planted with flowers and vegetables.
In order to encourage the i eople in
horticulture, the company offers lib
eral prizes each year Tor the best
kept yards, which includes any flow
ers and vegetables which they may
have. They employ a committee of
competent young women from Au
gusta. to visit tile yards twice dur
ing the year, and the prizes are
awarded with absolute fairness and
accuracy.
A great deal has been said by the
magazines and “yellow" journals
about tho terrible conditions exist
ing among mill people in the South,
and about the unhealthy and over
worked children, but any person vis
iting Graniteville today ‘could have
visible refutation of all these vicious
attacks. Not only are tho people of
Graniteville long lived, but it is
nothing unusual to see three genera
tions working side by side in the
mills.
While we have no authentic data
concerning the village 6f Vaucluse,
there undoubtedly was a small plant
there, operating probably 1,000 or
1 500 spindles, long before the Gran
iteville Mill was ever thought of. This
burned down probably about 1820,
and when the Graniteville Manufac
turing- Company decided to build a
second mill, it was named Vaucluse,
in honor of this little plant. By the
way, this little original Vaucluse Mill
was unquestionably named for a mill
in Vaucluse, France, where the man
ufacture of cotton is being conducted
today. A friend, recently visiting in
France, sent Mr. Hickman the presi
dent of the Graniteville Manufactur
ing Company a very interesting pho
tograph of this mill at Vaucluse.
THE LATE HAMILTON H. HICKMAN
Former President.
Much has also seen said by senti
mentalists and sensationalists about
the matter of child-labor, but if our
critics could only sea the condition
of the people of the mountan districts
from which most of the mill help
has come, and then see them after
they have lived a genration or two
in the average Southern cotton mill
town, they would feel differently on
the subject- The children are im
mensely improved In condition and
receive good educations in the
schools, while those in control of the
mills have been persistent in their
efforts to prevent child-labor. The
cotton mills themselves have raised
the age limit from 10 to 12 years, and
are willing to raise it to 14 years,
provided a compulsory education law
is also passed—but so far the legis
lators of the Southern states, among
whom the farmers predominate, have
prevented the passage of this law.
The cotton mills of the South want
to see the children of their mill towns
educated, and they do not wish to
employ young children in their mills.
What is needed, however, more than
a child-labor law, is a man-labor law,
tthich would make many worthless
fathers support their chldren instead
of putting them into the mills to
work. We are glad to say that V
does not pertain except to a very lim
ited extent, in Graniteville, though it
is a matter of regret to have to say
that it does pertain to some other
plants about which we know, not only
in the South but all over the United
States. Even if the mill presidents
should be as black as they are paint
ed sometimes in this matter of em
ploying children, it is a well-known
fact that they are expected to make
money for their stockholders, and
young children waste almost as much
material as they make and are there
fore not desired in the mills—all of
which makes the people in charge of
mills even more anxious to nave
these laws passed for their children's
protection.
Among the many interesting fea
tures ami products in connection
with Graniteviiie is the fact that of
tlie number of its boys who have oc
cupied positions of trust and honur
in all parts of the country. There
are a number of Graniteville boys
today who are overseers in the mills
at Graniteville and Vaucluse —one is
a cotton mill president and one is a
cotton mill superintendent. One of
its boys has become a judge, one a
ronsul to a foreign port, one major int
the Charleston militia, another mayor
of Bessemer, Ala., another holds a re
sponsible position at the head of one
of the largest fire insurance compa
nies in the United States —eleven ot
whom we know have become success
ful preachers, doctors and lawyers,
while some have become presidents
of banks, and a goodly number can
be found among the prosperous mer
chants of South Carolina and Geor
gia. One holds the position ot su
perintendent of the Graniteville Man
ufacturing Company, while others have,
become bookkeepers and office assis
tants. Two hav? served a 3 grand
masters of the Odd Fellows. Two
have graduated at the South Carolina
Military Academy, having won schol
arships on competitive examinations,
another won a West Point cadetship,
and still another is now'an officer in
the United States navy. The head of
the largest business in Graniteville
today, and a man whose word is as
good as his bond, is a Graniteville
"boy.”
And what can be said of the boys,
can, in a great measure, be said of
the girls, and while they naturally
have not the opportunity of holding
I ositions of such trust and honor as
the men. yet many of them have be
come school teachers, stenographers,
office assistants, and have branched
out in other lines open to women,
and have proven eminently success
ful in their activities in the buslneg*-
world. And then many of them are
now the wives and mothers of sub
stantial business men; and those who
live in Graniteville and work there
day by day, are among the most
trustworthy and faithful mill people
in the whole South—and today
"Graniteville is known among the
bes mill towns in the country,” so
cially, industrially, morally and relig
iously,
Th' company is now considering
the enlargement of its No. 2 plant at
Vaucluse, and if this is accomplish
ed. the Graniteville Manufacturing
Company will not only be the second
largest real estate holder in South
Carolina, but among the very largest
cotton mill plants.
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