Poinsett

Poinsett Mill sits on Gates Street above the Reedy River alongside the Southern Railway. One of Greenville’s oldest cotton mills, Poinsett was originally established in 1893 as the Gates Desk Company. With renovation in 1901 to be used as a yarn mill, it was re-chartered as Carolina Mills. Mill ownership built 123 homes in the village pf about 200 people. A small house on Birnie Street served as a church and school for the 42 children living in the village. In 1916, the mill, with 26,457 spindles and 726 looms, was reorganized as Poinsett Mill. It was named for SC Statesman, Joel R. Poinsett, an early advocate of southern industry. Augustus W. Smith (1862-1934) became Company President and led in the expansion of the mill. A separate office building was constructed on the site. New streets were added. A company store, barbershop, café, and school were built. Poinsett Baptist church was occupied in 1923 and later renovated as s gymnasium when the existing sanctuary was dedicated in 1967. As mill workers and members moved from the village, the church was sold in 1971 to Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church., In 1928 Brandon, Woodruff, Renfrew, and Poinsett Mills merged to become Brandon Corporation. In 1929, mill hands Brandon Poinsett joined workers from Brandon in a 8 week strike to protest “the stretchout”, an attempt by management to increase workloads in the face of declining wages. The strike ended with minimal reforms. Abney Mills gained control of Poinsett in 1949. The mill closed in 1981. The Reynolds Co., a producer of adhesives and coatings, acquired the mill in 1983. With a story of reuse, Poinsett’s polished industrial presence in a century old setting stands as a reminder of Greenville’s Great Textile Heritage.