Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Union Bleachery

Photographed by Tom Bosse, May 14, 2022

1. Union Bleachery Marker (Front)

Inscription.
(front)
The Union Bleaching and Finishing Company began operations in 1903 with an initial capacity of 500,000 yards of cloth per week. It was the second custom finishing company in S.C. and was one of four original plants worldwide licensed to use the Sandfordizing Process, which reduced shrinkage of cotton cloth. In 1922 it was rechartered as Union Bleachery and by that time had a capacity of 2 million yards per week, making it the largest finishing plant in the South. (Continued on other side) (back) (Continued from other side) John White Arrington, who became company president in 1906, was key to the growth of both the plant and the surrounding mill village. The first homes were built along Arrington and Stephenson Avenues and in 1923 mill owners added a community building with a gymnasium. Employees played in the Textile Baseball League and the mill also maintained a nine-hole golf course. The mill, which was then operating as U.S. Finishing, burned in 2003.

Erected 2014 by Union Bleachery Historical Society. (Marker Number 23-64.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.

Location. 34° 53.196′ N,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

82° 25.818′ W. Marker is in Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. It is at the intersection of Old Buncombe Road and Bud Street, on the left when traveling west on Old Buncombe Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville SC 29617, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate

and in the Foothills. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sans Souci (approx. 0.8 miles away); Irvin H. Philpot Highway (approx. 1.1 miles away); Old Greenville Graveyard (approx. 1.2 miles away); Parker High School

Union Bleachery Marker (Back) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, May 14, 2022

2. Union Bleachery Marker (Back)

(approx. 1.3 miles away); American Spinning (approx. 1.3 miles away); Slater (approx. 1.3 miles away); Poinsett (approx. 1.3 miles away); Poe Mill (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.

Also see . . .
1. Sanforizing Machine and Process. (Submitted on May 27, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)
2. Union Bleachery. Greenville Textile Heritage Society (GTHS) (Submitted on May 27, 2022.)

Union Bleachery Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, May 14, 2022

3. Union Bleachery Marker

Photographed by Tom Bosse, May 14, 2022

4. Union Bleachery Marker

Union Bleachery WWII Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, May 14, 2022

5. Union Bleachery WWII Memorial

Photographed by Tom Bosse, May 14, 2022

6. Union Bleachery WWII Memorial

Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 525 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 27, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.