Camperdown

Camperdown. . In early 1874, Oscar Sampson (1828-1904) and George Hall chartered Camperdown #1 mill. By June 1874, it was in full operation in the Vardry McBee brain mill. Camperdown #2 was in full operation by December 1875. By 1880, the Camperdown spinning mills employed 260 workers and were the second largest mill in South Carolina next to the Graniteville Mill in Aiken County. The Camperdown Mills were the first of the modern textile mills to be opened within the corporate boundaries of the city of Greenville. The mills were also the first in Greenville County whose principal purpose was to manufacture and export cotton yarns to other areas of the United States. The mill property included what is known today as Falls Park adjacent to Main Street in downtown Greenville. Camperdown #1 ran on water power while Camperdown #2 used both water and steam, at 324 horsepower generated by the falls and the shoals of the Reedy River. Originally the mills manufactured hosiery yarns and thread. In 1904, looms were added to both mills to produce gingham and plaid cotton fabrics. The Camperdown Mill Village had 199 mill houses with a population around 1500 and included two churches, a gymnasium, a boarding house, and an elementary school. The mill houses were built along Choice, Hunt, Webster, Lois, and Cleveland streets. Mill employees played in the Textile Baseball and Basketball Leagues. Players practiced in the local Camperdown Gym. In 1947, the mill, with 12,673 spindles and 432 looms, employed 365 workers. A victim of international trade, it closed in 1956. It was deconstructed in 1959. The foundation of mill #1 remains today in the Mill Garden at Falls Park. In 1962, Choice Street was renamed Camperdown Way to remember the site of the former mill.