Mayesville (Marysville)
There was extreme segregation in
the early days of the Mill Company. Almost all of the
jobs inside the mill were denied to black people. There
were some jobs available to black men in outside work
and in the warehouses. Black families were also not
allowed to live in the Mill Village in Company houses.
Starting in 1921, steps were taken to provide houses for
the black families that worked for the Mill. A separate
community, Marysville, was built, away from the Mill
Village, for this purpose. The following story is taken
from Volume 1 of the History of Pacolet.
(I had the good fortune to know and
work with Mr. Capus Littlejohn (Not Capers) that
was interviewed for the above article in the late
1950's. We worked for the District 3 schools doing
maintenance work. He was a kind and wise man.)
Thanks
to Ms. Vonda R. Shands we have become aware of an
online interview related to Pacolet and Marysville. In
1964, a researcher from Georgia State University
interviewed Ms. Ethelene Rogers about her life in
Pacolet and Marysville. The approximately one hour
interview covers subjects such as the Depression and
the Great Textile Strike of 1934. Ethelene Rogers was
one of the best friends of Vonda Shands’ grandmother.
The very interesting interview touches on many facets
of life in Pacolet. It can be heard at: http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/uprising/id/449.
This web site has
been started as a public service to share the story of
Pacolet.