Mullins, South Carolina

Mullins, South Carolina
—  City  —
Nickname(s): "The City of Opportunity"
Location of Mullins in South Carolina
Coordinates: 34°12′19″N 79°15′29″W / 34.20528°N 79.25806°W / 34.20528; -79.25806Coordinates: 34°12′19″N 79°15′29″W / 34.20528°N 79.25806°W / 34.20528; -79.25806
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Marion
Government
– Mayor	Pam Lee [1]
Area
– Total	3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2)
– Land	3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	98 ft (30 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	5,029
– Density	1,648.8/sq mi (636.6/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29574
Area code(s)	843
FIPS code	45-48805[2]
GNIS feature ID	1224890[3]
Website	www.mullinssc.us/

Mullins is a city in Marion County, South Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,029. Incorporated on March 4, 1872, Mullins was named after Col. William S. Mullins, who served as a representative for Marion County in the South Carolina State Legislature from 1852 to 1866.

Geography

Mullins is located at 34°12′19″N 79°15′19″W / 34.20528°N 79.25528°W / 34.20528; -79.25528 (34.205239, -79.255309)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.

Government

The city is run by an elected Mayor-council government system.

History of Mullins

On March 4, 1872, the charter was approved for the town of Mullins. The same year the Macedonia Methodist church was established, the first church within city limits. By 1878, the city of Mullins had a population of seventy-five people, a total of twelve families. There were only three stores and four unpaved streets: Railroad, Main, Smith, and Gapway Streets.

In 1894, the growth and sale of tobacco sparked the further development of the city of Mullins. In 1895, tobacco was sold for c17.13 a pound, a good price. Mullins became the largest distributor of tobacco in the country, known as “South Carolinas Largest, The world’s best tobacco market.” In the late 1920s the tobacco festival was started and is still celebrated today.

Mullins’ first school was established in 1872, which was attended by boys and girls from the town, nearby rural areas, and neighboring counties. The first schoolhouse was built in 1904; a brick, two story building on Academy Street. A second schoolhouse was built in 1913, on the corner of Main and Academy streets. Mullins High School was built in 1923 on North Park Street where it stood until burning in 1976. It was rebuilt on Millers Road, outside of the city limits. McCormick Elementary School was built on Sandy Bluff Road in 1956. The original Palmetto School for Negroes (High and Elementary) was built on Cypress Street in 1919 and around 1956 was split up. The Palmetto Elementary School was built on Broad Street. The Palmetto High School was built on O'Neal Street with 1970 being the last graduating class. It became Palmetto Middle School as it remains today.

In 1970 all schools were combined into a totally integrated school system.

In 1910, the public library was established. The current library, located at the corner of N. Main and Wine Streets, was built in 1940.

Mullins Fire Department

One of the greatest fears of the people of Mullins was that of fire. When a fire broke out, neighbors were called by cries for help or by farm bells as homeowners watched all of their possessions being engulfed by flames. The first Mullins Fire Department was established in the early 1920s. The first fire wagon was a regular farm wagon with a ladder and twenty to thirty buckets hanging from the sides. The wagon was pulled by man power and the equipment was operated by the first men who arrived to help. The first truck powered by gas was a 1923 Ford pickup purchased in 1959.

Historic places

• Neal and Dixon's Warehouse
• The Mullins Depot, which now houses the South Carolina Tobacco Museum.
• Anderson Brothers Bank – The Mullins hometown bank. Established in 1929 by B.B. and E.L. Anderson, who had operated a depository out of their warehouse.
• Rasor & Clardy Building
• Liberty Warehouse
• Old Brick Warehouse
• Imperial Tobacco Company Building

References

1. ^ http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/pee_dee/article/mullins_welcomes_lee_as_first_female_mayor/18835/
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• The Greater Mullins Chamber of Commerce
• Sci-Way Article: Historic Mullins, SC
• South Carolina Tobacco Museum
• City history
• City website