Arcadia Mill No. 2
National Register Listing
Street Address:
100 W. Cleveland Street, Spartanburg, SC (Spartanburg County)
Alternate Name:
Baily Mill, Mayfair-Baily Mill, Bailey Mill, Mayfair-Bailey Mill
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817742055
Description and Narrative:
(Mayfair-Baily Mill) Arcadia Mill No. 2 is significant for its association with the development of the textile industry in Spartanburg County from 1923 to 1955 and as an intact example of cotton mill engineering and design at the end of the great boom period in Southern textile mills. This mill was the second of two Arcadia Mills built by Spartanburg pharmacist and banker Dr. Henry Arthur Ligon, Sr. (1856-1925). The first Arcadia Mill opened in 1902. Ligon began construction of Arcadia Mill No. 2 in 1922, which went into operation in 1923. The Arcadia Mills suffered during the first years of the 1930s, both from the wake of the agricultural depression and the Great Depression. The mills also suffered from labor unrest when the company resorted to the “stretch-out,” requiring workers to work longer hours, increase the speed of their work, or increase the output of cloth. A strike organized by the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) in 1932 failed, and Arcadia workers did not join the UTWA-attempted strike of all American textile mills in 1934. In 1934 the Arcadia Mills were sold to Mayfair Mills, Inc., a new company organized by Joshua L. Baily and Company, a New York cotton agent. Arcadia Mill No. 2 became Baily Mill, sometimes known as Mayfair-Baily Mill. In addition to the three-story main brick mill building, the property also includes a two-story brick warehouse (1923), one-story brick weave mill (1953), reservoir, water tower, and elements of historic landscaping that also contribute to the significance of the property. Listed in the National Register October 4, 2005.
Period of Significance:
1923
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Industry;Commerce;Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
October 4 2005
