Ellison Flour Mill
National Register Listing
Street Address:
100 Ellison Street, Fountain Inn, SC (Greenville County)
Alternate Name:
Fountain Inn Milling Company
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817723094
Description and Narrative:
Built between 1940 and 1972, the Ellison Flour Mill is a collection of three tin-clad wood structures at the corner of Ellison and Wall streets near downtown Fountain Inn, and it is listed in the Register for its association with the burgeoning industrial economy of early mid-century Fountain Inn. Originally constructed between 1940 and 1941, the mill was established by F.G. Ellison of Cheddar, South Carolina and was the sole flour mill in Fountain Inn. While textile manufacturing had long undergirded the local economy, the Ellison Flour Mill represents the increased diversification of the town’s industrial base in the mid-century era. Though established prior to the Second World War, the mill thrived in the postwar period, during which time it became known as the Fountain Inn Milling Company. The three extant buildings are visually united through the use of tin cladding on their exteriors, and the two older buildings retain their seamed metal gable roofs and some original windows. At three-stories, the Roller Mill dominates the site and is perhaps the most evocative of the property’s historical use as a flour mill, while the Flour Warehouse has undergone the most change and experienced the highest level of deterioration. The last building to be constructed on the site, the Wall Street Warehouse, is located in the northwest corner and is the simplest in design, featuring more modern construction elements such as a concrete block foundation and steel columns instead of the brick foundations and wood columns used in the earlier buildings. While three secondary historic resources have been lost, the site retains its industrial character and still conveys its historical associations with its former use as a flour mill. It was for a time the sole flour mill in Laurens and Greenville counties and served several other counties, ultimately having an industrial impact that extended far beyond Fountain Inn. It is one of the last physical vestiges of the town's manufacturing industry from the mid-century era, as many other industrial buildings like textile mill facilities, fertilizer warehouses, ice plants, and factories are no longer extant or have been substantially altered. Listed in the National Register October 11, 2022.
Period of Significance:
1940 – 1972
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Industry
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
October 11 2022
