Springmaid as drawn
by Clayton Knight
Early Stockholders of the Lancaster Cotton Mill, 1895
The collection is housed within the White Homestead which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and restored to its original 1831 interiors in the 1990's. The original portion of the house was constructed in the early 1830's by William Elliott White and Sarah Robinson Wilson White to accommodate a growing family. Later additions were made to the house by son Samuel Elliott White, founder of Fort Mill Manufacturing, and great-grandson Elliott White Springs, World War I Ace, author, and manufacturer. It is undoubtedly the most distinguished example of late Georgian architecture in upcountry South Carolina.
Reflecting the family's long history in the Carolinas and their impact on the upstate the family records date from 1764 to the present and include over 200 linear feet of records, and more than 2000 bound volumes. Of particular interest are the records relating to the last meeting of the Confederate Cabinet on the front lawn of the White Homestead, original art work by James Montgomery Flagg and other renowned illustrators, and records relating to the establishment and expansion of Springs Cotton Mills.
Springs Close Family Archives
The Elliott White Springs Manuscript collection includes correspondence with friends and family, as well as manuscript drafts for some of his novels and short stories, news clippings, scrapbooks, and publications relating to his work, his writings and his service in World War I.
Lt. Elliott White Springs, 1918
Included in the archives collection are wills, deeds, plats, Catawba Indian land leases, correspondence, diaries, journals, account books, receipts, photographs, and newspapers relating to various family members, their business interest, and plantations in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Also contained are records relating to
the history of Springs Industries
including ads, The Springs Bulletin, reports,
minutes, photographs and memorabilia.