Volume 10, Issue 2 - Summer Edition | 2026

Threads of Time: The Digitized Springs Bulletin Collection

In May 2026, The Baxter Mill Archive, in collaboration with the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University unveiled the newly digitized Springs Bulletin collection, marking the culmination of many years of a preservation initiative dedicated to safeguarding an important part of Fort Mill’s history. This remarkable project not only preserved more than forty years of Springs Bulletin content for future generations, but also transformed the collection into a fully searchable digital archive, providing unprecedented public access to the stories, people, and daily life that shaped the Fort Mill community and the South Carolina textile industry.

The Springs Bulletin served as the in-house employee newspaper of Springs Industries, one of the most influential textile companies in the American South and, for many years, the largest industrial employer in South Carolina. Published bimonthly, the Bulletin documented nearly every aspect of mill life — company milestones, employee achievements, retirements, weddings, births, sporting events, wartime production efforts, community gatherings, and the steady growth of the textile industry across the region. More than a company publication, it became a historical record of everyday life in a mill town where generations of families built their livelihoods around Springs Industries.

The digitization of this collection carries enormous significance for the Fort Mill community. For former employees and their families, the archive preserves personal memories that may otherwise have been lost to time. Workers could find their names, photographs, departments, or stories documented within its pages, often alongside friends, neighbors, and relatives who worked beside them. Entire family histories are woven throughout the Bulletins, reflecting the reality that many Fort Mill families spent generations connected to Springs Industries. By making the archive fully searchable, descendants, historians, students, and researchers can now easily trace individuals, events, and milestones that shaped both their personal histories and the identity of the town itself.

The Bulletins also reveal the culture intentionally fostered by Colonel Elliot White Springs, who believed that Springs Industries should feel like more than simply a workplace. Through publications like the Springs Bulletin, the company cultivated a strong sense of community pride, connection, and belonging among employees. Former workers consistently described Springs as having a “family feel." The Bulletins reinforced this culture by recognizing employees not merely as laborers, but as valued members of a larger community. Birthdays, anniversaries, military service, civic involvement, and personal accomplishments were celebrated alongside production updates and company news, creating a shared identity that extended far beyond the mill walls.

Today, the digitized Springs Bulletin collection stands as an invaluable historical resource that captures the voices and experiences of ordinary textile workers whose stories are often underrepresented in traditional historical records. It preserves the social, economic, and cultural history of Fort Mill during the height of the textile era and ensures that future generations can continue to explore, research, and better understand the people who helped shape the community. The project represents not only the preservation of documents, but the preservation of memory, identity, and the lasting legacy of Springs Industries in Fort Mill and throughout the South Carolina Piedmont.

Krista Huff

FMHM Museum Services Coordinator

Experience the Whole Journey

As we celebrate our role in SC250, we’re reminded that we’re one meaningful piece of a much bigger story unfolding across our beautiful state. As you explore what we’re doing here, we encourage you to travel across South Carolina to experience the battlefields, historic sites, and communities that highlight the people, places, and pivotal moments that shaped our nation. Discover more and start planning your journey HERE!

Partner Events

Non-Profit Partner

Please join the Fort Mill History Museum in proudly supporting the York County Council on Aging — a local nonprofit that offers services to help keep senior citizens in York and Chester counties living independently for as long as possible. These services include home delivered meals to frail, home-bound seniors, homemaker services, seven senior centers in York and Chester counties and transportation to and from our centers and other destinations.

The deadline to donate a meal is June 9 @ 12:00 PM. Donated meals will go directly to the 50 seniors in need in Fort Mill. To donate a meal, click on the link above, click on "Buy tickets," scroll down to "Donation Plate - BBQ Combo Plate" and select how many you would like to donate.

The Story of Martha Elliott White Wallis

The history of Fort Mill is like a colorful blanket woven with stories about the families who have made this town their home. While all of the stories are intriguing, some have added elements of mystery, romance, family drama, and even ghostly scenes. Very few stories, however, encompass all of these descriptions with the exception of one narrative, the story of Martha Elliott. 

In 1802, Martha Elliot from Fort Mill was 27 years old when she married her first husband, Revolutionary War Captain Joseph White. The following year they became parents to a son they named William Elliot White. Unfortunately, their marriage was cut short when Joseph White died just two years after being wed to Martha. He left his family with a significant estate appraised at $6,284.

Following her husband’s death, Martha persevered by successfully running a cotton plantation with a cotton gin. Considering her wealth through this business, her land holdings, and being of a relatively young age, Martha most likely would have been considered an eligible widow with valuable assets.

It took 14 years before Martha accepted a marriage proposal. This time it was from Reverend James Wallis, who was the pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg County. Wallis was 56 years old at the time, a graduate of the Mount Zion Institute of Winnsboro, served on the board of trustees at the University of North Carolina, authored a book on theology, and established an academy. He not only served as a pastor in North Carolina but also traveled to nearby churches in South Carolina who did not have a preacher. In 1810, one of these churches was Fort Mill’s Unity Church, which may be where he first met Martha.

This was not the Reverend’s first marriage. His first wife, Jean Bain Alexander, was associated with a ghostly tale of dying twice. The story goes that Jean first died around 1810-1813 but soon after her burial she was discovered alive by grave robbers who came looking for her jewelry. She lived several more years before “officially” dying in 1816.

Although it is not clear if the story of Jean’s premature burial was true and whether Wallis was suspected of any foul play, Martha did have Wallis sign a “Deed of Trust” before they were married. Known today as a prenuptial agreement, this deed, signed in May 1818, ensured that all of her estate holdings would be given to her son when she died, while Wallis would only receive $500 if she should die first. Martha did die first from a liver ailment on October 23, 1819, less than two years after she married Wallis.

Following Martha’s death, Wallis found out that Martha had a will written just before her passing. In this will she left most of her estate to 17-year-old son, William Elliot White, and only $200 to the Reverend Wallis. Martha referenced that this money was just “a small acknowledgment for the great care and attention he has paid me since our marriage.” Not pleased with this new development, Wallis contested the distribution of her estate arguing that the original deed of trust he signed was by coercion, the wording of the deed was not lawful, the deed was never placed in the Secretary of State’s office, and that the $200 the will stated was contrary to the $500 the deed had stated.

Wallis did not attend the trial because he felt his life was in danger, but sent his son, from his first marriage, to represent him. Martha’s witnesses included her brother, her sister, and her neighbors who stated they saw Wallis sign the original deed. They also agreed that Wallis did not oppose the deed and his only request was for Martha to live with him in his house in Mecklenburg County. Despite this request, the testimonies confirmed that Martha never moved into his residence and he never moved into her home in Fort Mill. Finally, on November 22, 1819, the judge overseeing the case, ruled that Martha’s will was valid and that Wallis would only receive the $200. Surprisingly, Wallis died less than five weeks after the judge’s ruling.    

Thanks to Martha’s persistence in preserving her estate for her son, William Elliot White went on to inherit Martha’s estate and used some of his inheritance to build the home known today as the White Homestead. 

Read Full Article HERE.

Susan Andrews

FMHM Research Team

Discover What Your Membership Can Do for You!

When you join the Fort Mill History Museum, you're not just supporting our mission—you're becoming part of a our community. Enjoy exclusive access to exciting members only events, special discounts in our gift shop, and savings on select programs. Your membership helps preserve our history while offering you unique experiences! In addition to supporting the museum, here are three membership benefits that our members receive:

1. Invitation to Member Only Events - After multiple successful members only events in 2025, we look forward to introducing many more in 2026!
2. Access to Early Ticket Sales - For several of our annual events, tickets have sold out. Our members receive early access to purchase tickets for selected events.
3. A Fort Mill History Museum membership, at the Enthusiast level or above, includes a membership to the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association. NARM gives you the opportunity to explore over 1,100 museums and cultural institutions across the country at a free or discounted rate. Check out this link for more information: https://narmassociation.org/

To see other membership benefits or to become a member, please visit our website or Email krista@fmhm.org for more information.

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