The above are pictures from Newry Mill Village. The dates of each picture are unknown but they provide one with an idea of the services provided to workers in the village. The first shows the Newry Mill Post Office and the Newry General Store along with individuals who are believed to be workers from the Mill. The second is a more recent photograph of the mill from the 21st century prior to its renovation.
Morrison, Chanda. “New Life for Newry.” Visit Oconee South Carolina, August 31, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/New-Life-Newry
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Seneca, South Carolina in the early 1900s was a mill town. One of those mills in existence at the time was the Newry Mill, located along the Little River basin in Lake Keowee and 5 miles away from downtown Seneca. Its official name is the Courtenay Manufacturing Company and had been established in 1893 by Captain William Ashmead Courtenay to “manufacture, spin, dye, print and sell cotton and wool textiles” (Morrison 2023).
Newry made its mark on Seneca history by being the first textile village to spring up in Occonee County. By the end of its 13 years of production, Newry Mill Village came to include a number of buildings to provide services to its workers including over four dozen cottages, a church, school, post office, barber shop, and community hall. These buildings provided electricity and running water to its workers.
The mill has since been renovated and is available for apartment rentals.
Morrison, Chanda. “New Life for Newry.” Visit Oconee South Carolina, August 31, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/New-Life-Newry
In this letter, the writer is Lillie Abner Pittman, an inferred friend of Blanche's. Lillie discusses having moved closer to Seneca, South Carolina, as well as her ability to go to both Seneca and a nearby town called Townville. She also asks Blanche if Sue, an inferred friend of Blanche and Lillie's, has moved back to Piedmont. Lillie says she wrote and sent a letter to Sue about this but has not recieved a letter back.
The above screenshot of Google Maps paints the picture of approximate distance between the three cities mentioned in this letter: Seneca, Townville, and Piedmont. Seneca and Townville are approximately 12 and a half miles away from each other. The distance between Seneca and Townville and Piedmont are more than double that, with Seneca and Piedmont being 30.7 miles apart and Townville and Piedmont being 31 miles apart.
What was the makeup of the working population at Newry Mill? Were there were more men or women?
What was education like in Seneca, South Carolina in 1905? How many years did students spend in school and what classes did they take?
What sort of products could one buy at the Newry Mill General Store?