Cateechee Mill Village

Front: Cateechee Mill Village originally housed employees of Norris Cotton Mills, built on Twelve Mile River in 1895-97 as the first modern textile mill in Pickens County. Upon opening, the 4-story masonry plant had 5,000 spindles and 150 looms, with 90 homes in the village. Founder D.K. Norris, a native of Orangeburg County, named the community “Cateechee” after an Upcountry legend. Reverse: As the mill expanded, new homes were added to the village including 31 built in 1927. By the 1930s the mill had around 250 workers. Roughly 850 people lived in Cateechee, which also had a school, company store, barber shop, post office, hotel, jail, and a community church shared by members of different denominations. The mill closed in 1982 and is now in ruins. Much of the village survives.