Monaghan Mill is a historic textile mill located in Greenville, South Carolina, and is one of the key mills that shaped the city’s textile industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History of Monaghan Mill

• Founded: 1900
• Named After: Monaghan, Ireland, in honor of the Irish heritage of some of the founders.
• Founder: Lewis W. Parker, a major figure in Greenville’s textile boom and an innovator in the industry.
• Location: Located along Smythe Street in Greenville, SC.

Significance in Greenville’s Textile Industry

• Major Employer: Monaghan Mill employed hundreds of workers, many of whom lived in the surrounding mill village, which provided housing, a church, a school, and a company store.
• Innovative Practices: The mill was known for high-quality textile production and played a role in Greenville’s reputation as the “Textile Capital of the World.”
• Parker Cotton Mills Company: Lewis Parker consolidated Monaghan Mill with other mills, forming one of the largest textile corporations in the U.S. at the time.

Decline and Redevelopment

• Closure: Like many textile mills, Monaghan Mill declined due to changes in the textile industry and global competition. It eventually closed in the mid-20th century.
• Adaptive Reuse: In the early 2000s, the historic mill was converted into The Lofts of Greenville, an upscale apartment complex that preserved much of the mill’s original architecture, including its brick façade, large windows, and wooden beams.
• National Register of Historic Places: Monaghan Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, recognizing its historical and architectural significance.

Monaghan Mill Village

The surrounding Monaghan Mill Village still maintains elements of its historic past, with mill homes that have been preserved or restored. The Monaghan Baptist Church, built for mill workers, still stands as a symbol of the community that once thrived around the mill.