"B" is for Brandon Mill. Located two miles west of downtown Greenville, the community of Brandon emerged after the construction of the Brandon Mill in 1901. Founded by J. Irving Westervelt, the original mill had 10,000 spindles and 400 looms. Some sixty cottages for workers were built nearby. Originally called Quentin, Westervelt changed the name to Brandon—after a town near Belfast, Ireland, where textiles had long been produced. The mill was an immediate success and by 1916 had 86,000 spindles. Falling cotton prices and the Great Depression ruined the market for textile goods. In the 1940s, only World War II and the need for the increased production of cotton textiles saved the mill from bankruptcy. Brandon Mill continued to manufacture cotton goods after the war, until falling demand for domestic textiles forced the plant’s closure in 1977.
"B" is for Brandon Mill
