Mullins, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Mullins is a city in Marion County, South Carolina
, in the United States
. As of the 2000 census
, the city population was 5,029.
Incorporated on March 4, 1872, Mullins was named after Col. William S. Mullins, who served as a representative for Marion County in the South Carolina State Legislature from 1852 to 1866.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
In 1894, the growth and sale of tobacco sparked the further development of the city of Mullins. In 1895, tobacco was sold for c17.13 a pound, a good price. Mullins became the largest distributor of tobacco in the country, known as “South Carolinas Largest, The world’s best tobacco market.” In the late 1920s the tobacco festival was started and is still celebrated today.
Mullins’ first school was established in 1872, which was attended by boys and girls from the town, nearby rural areas, and neighboring counties. The first schoolhouse was built in 1904; a brick, two story building on Academy Street. A second schoolhouse was built in 1913, on the corner of Main and Academy streets. Mullins High School was built in 1923 on North Park Street where it stood until burning in 1976. It was rebuilt on Millers Road, outside of the city limits. McCormick Elementary School was built on Sandy Bluff Road in 1956. The original Palmetto School for Negroes (High and Elementary) was built on Cypress Street in 1919 and around 1956 was split up. The Palmetto Elementary School was built on Broad Street. The Palmetto High School was built on O'Neal Street with 1970 being the last graduating class. It became Palmetto Middle School as it remains today.
In 1970 all schools were combined into a totally integrated school system.
In 1910, the public library was established. The current library, located at the corner of N. Main and Wine Streets, was built in 1940.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city population was 5,029.
Incorporated on March 4, 1872, Mullins was named after Col. William S. Mullins, who served as a representative for Marion County in the South Carolina State Legislature from 1852 to 1866.
Geography
Mullins is located at 34°12′19"N 79°15′19"W (34.205239, -79.255309).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
History of Mullins
On March 4, 1872, the charter was approved for the town of Mullins. The same year the Macedonia Methodist church was established, the first church within city limits. By 1878, the city of Mullins had a population of seventy-five people, a total of twelve families. There were only three stores and four unpaved streets: Railroad, Main, Smith, and Gapway Streets.In 1894, the growth and sale of tobacco sparked the further development of the city of Mullins. In 1895, tobacco was sold for c17.13 a pound, a good price. Mullins became the largest distributor of tobacco in the country, known as “South Carolinas Largest, The world’s best tobacco market.” In the late 1920s the tobacco festival was started and is still celebrated today.
Mullins’ first school was established in 1872, which was attended by boys and girls from the town, nearby rural areas, and neighboring counties. The first schoolhouse was built in 1904; a brick, two story building on Academy Street. A second schoolhouse was built in 1913, on the corner of Main and Academy streets. Mullins High School was built in 1923 on North Park Street where it stood until burning in 1976. It was rebuilt on Millers Road, outside of the city limits. McCormick Elementary School was built on Sandy Bluff Road in 1956. The original Palmetto School for Negroes (High and Elementary) was built on Cypress Street in 1919 and around 1956 was split up. The Palmetto Elementary School was built on Broad Street. The Palmetto High School was built on O'Neal Street with 1970 being the last graduating class. It became Palmetto Middle School as it remains today.
In 1970 all schools were combined into a totally integrated school system.
In 1910, the public library was established. The current library, located at the corner of N. Main and Wine Streets, was built in 1940.
Mullins Fire Department
One of the greatest fears of the people of Mullins was that of fire. When a fire broke out, neighbors were called by cries for help or by farm bells as homeowners watched all of their possessions being engulfed by flames. The first Mullins Fire Department was established in the early 1920s. The first fire wagon was a regular farm wagon with a ladder and twenty to thirty buckets hanging from the sides. The wagon was pulled by man power and the equipment was operated by the first men who arrived to help. The first truck powered by gas was a 1923 Ford pickup purchased in 1959.Historic places
- Neal and Dixon's WarehouseNeal and Dixon's WarehouseNeal and Dixon’s Warehouse in Mullins, South Carolina, USA, was built circa 1926 for J.S. Neal, C.O. Dixon, and J.H. Dixon, Sr. The warehouse is virtually unaltered and is an excellent example of traditional tobacco warehouse construction. It is also important for its association with tobacco...
- The Mullins Depot, which now houses the South Carolina Tobacco Museum.
- Anderson Brothers Bank – The Mullins hometown bank. Established in 1929 by B.B. and E.L. Anderson, who had operated a depository out of their warehouse.
- Rasor & Clardy Building
- Liberty Warehouse
- Old Brick Warehouse
- Imperial Tobacco Company Building