THE COTTON MILL CAMPAIGN, under the slogan "Bring the cotton mills to the fields," played a key role in revitalizing the South during Reconstruction. The movement brought in a whole generation of mill builders, including men such as Dr. Wylie C. Hamrick. Without these enterprising leaders, the South may not have returned to its pre-war economic well-being for decades.

Hamrick was quite an influential figure in the late 1800s in Gaffney, SC. After all, he had served as a doctor to many families in the region and later owned drugstores and a dry goods store. In fact, he had chaired a steering committee that oversaw the formation of Cherokee County in 1897.

But his most noteworthy legacy — which remains firmly planted in the Upstate region today — is the textile operation that he, along with other investors, created at the turn of the century.

Hamrick and his partners created Limestone Mills to manufacture shade cloth. The new venture thrived early and prompted him and others to form four more mills, all of which he managed from a single office.

His success made him something of an industrial authority in South Carolina, as his publishing of a book, Life Values in the New South in 1931, attested.

His sons, Lyman and Waite, followed him into the family business and thus began an hierarchical rein-passing that has continued to this day.

HAMRICK MILLS, as the company is known today, recently marked its first 100 years of business, as you can read about in this edition of STN. Family members still own and operate the company and it continues to thrive as it begins its second century of service.

While Hamrick may not be as well-known to passers-by as The Peachoid water tower along I-85 in Gaffney, it is more firmly woven into the fabric of the county and the textile industry in Dixie. The tie that has bound this company for so long is the family structure. This arrangement, according to President Carlisle Hamrick, gives the company a "distinct advantage" by creating a "hands-on corporate culture that gives us the flexibility to maneuver quickly and respond to or anticipate customers’ needs."

Hamrick Mills, a greige weaver of polyester/cotton sheeting and print cloth, also has been successful by responding and adapting to change over the years. This is evident in recent times as the company has moved from being manufacturing-driven to customer-driven.

Technologically, Hamrick Mills has reinvested in itself, going from a labor intensive to capital intensive operation and, thus, becoming much more cost effective.

IN SHORT, while many companies are struggling today, Hamrick Mills is doing many of the necessary things to ensure its long-term prospects.

Through Dr. Hamrick’s vision a century ago, the company has provided jobs to thousands of people in Cherokee County and beyond and they have been as pivotal to Hamrick’s success as anything. This success has created longevity and longevity has created a company that stands tall in this industry. The Hamricks, one of the "first families" of Southern textiles, and their employees have made it so.

They don’t come any finer than this family and their company.

Happy 100, Hamrick Mills.

Click Here to read the Southern Textile News Hamrick Mills CentennialArticle