Have you ever found yourself driving down Mills Avenue, and as you pass InStride Piedmont Podiatry, wondered what once stood in its place?
You probably haven’t had this specific thought, but you have likely reminisced with fellow Greenvillians on the history of the city and the grand homes + buildings that once dotted it.
We stumbled upon an incredible post in the Facebook group Greenville SC Natives that is a shining example of a home loved and laid to rest in history. May we introduce the home of Captain Otis Prentiss Mills.
A stunner — porch, car and all | Photo via Tom Brissey, Greenville SC Natives
Captain Mills’ home once stood at 13 Mills Ave. (which is now 11 Mills Ave., where you will find InStep Piedmont Podiatry). The home was originally built in 1900 and eventually turned into apartments in the 1940s before it was later torn down.
Let’s talk a little bit more about Captain Otis Prentiss Mills.
An NC native, Capt. Mills moved to Greenville around 1865 after serving in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Shortly after relocating to the Upstate, he met + married Susan Cordelia Gower, daughter of the Hon. T.C. Gower (another familiar + famous Greenville name) and had 5 children. They accumulated 300 acres in Greenville, which included today’s avenues: Otis, Prentiss, and of course, Mills.
Capt. Mills was quite the businessman after his time in the war, establishing Millsdale Dairy in 1870 and founding the South Carolina Cottonseed Company in 1872.
After his retirement in 1887, he helped found the Greenville Fertilizer Company and eventually went onto build the Mills Mill in 1895, which had 5,000 spindles and 200 employees. Today, we know it as as the Lofts at Mills Mill.
Although Capt. Mills passed away on Jul. 23, 1915, he left a legacy through his children like his son, Otis Prentiss Mills, who went on to serve as vice president of Mills Manufacturing Company in the very mill his father built.
What other historic Greenville figures, families + homes would you like to read about?
Today
- Furman Paladins vs. Wofford Terriers Women’s Volleyball | Wed., Oct. 20 | 7 p.m. | Alley Gymnasium, Furman University | $5 | See the Furman women’s volleyball team go head to head with the Wofford Terriers. 🏐
- Charcuterie & Champagne | Wed. Oct. 20 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Monkee’s of the West End | Free entry | Join the Meyer Center for Special Children for an evening of bubbly, bites and 20% off your Monkee’s purchase — plus, get your raffle tickets for the Meyer Center’s annual Holiday Luncheon. 🍾
- A Light Divided with The Almas | Wed., Oct. 20 | 7:30-11 p.m. | The Radio Room | $15 | Experience North Carolina native rock band A Light Divided, along with The Almas, A War to Win, and Auralayer. 🎶
Thursday
- Heroes & Best Friends Golf Classic | Thurs., Oct. 21 | 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Carolina Springs Golf Club, 1680 Scuffletown Rd., Fountain Inn | $100+ | Support Service Dogs for Veterans (SD4V) with your swing at this golf tournament. ⛳
- Five Dollar Comedy | Thurs., Oct. 21 | 7-9 p.m. | Carolina Bauernhaus, Poe West | $5 | Laugh with the funniest comedians of the Upstate.
- Mindfulness at Work | Thurs., Oct. 21 | 2-2:45 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Learn ways to manage your own stress, improve communication + help the people within your organization in this webinar hosted by Flow to You. Ⓟ
Friday
- Pasta Making Course | Fri., Oct. 22 | 5:30-9 p.m. | Truist Culinary & Hospitality Innovation Center at Greenville Technical College | $89 | Make your own authentic pasta at this cooking class + leave with the knowledge of how to make and flavor pasta with different types of dough, colors, and sauces. 🍝
- Glow-Tacular | Sat. Oct. 22 + Oct. 29 | Start times vary | Treetop Quest, 16 Alma St. | $50 | Explore the treetops at night by glowstick, headlamp + moonlight with friends and family ages 12+. 🌙
Saturday
- Spooktacular Trail | Sat., Oct. 23 | 4-6 p.m. | Take Heart Church, 1330 Fork Shoals Rd. | Free | This free, not-so-spooky drive-through trail is a chance to see favorite Disney characters and superheroes, with candy for kids.
- Drug Take Back | Sat., Oct. 23 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Greer Commission for Public Works, 301 McCall St., Greer | Free | Drop off any kind of prescription or over-the-counter pills, including pet medications, at the Greer Commission for Public Works.
We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Beast Mode participants at Eastside Family YMCA | Photo provided by the YMCA of Greenville
Sarah here, from the 6AM City sales team. Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve been attending the YMCA’s Beast Mode On Ramp Training, the YMCA of Greenville’s high intensity training program that uses Olympic lifting, gymnastics and plyometrics. While I have very little experience with weightlifting and high intensity interval training, I decided I would challenge myself to learn a new skill.
What we tried (with pricing):
I attended 4 training sessions (each at 6:30 a.m. during their open gym time 🥱). Throughout the training, each coach walked me through the workout of the day (WOD) and taught me exercises from weighted squats to “skiing.” Since weightlifting and plyometrics are not a typical part of my exercise routine, I needed options to modify or scale, which each coach was able to accommodate. At the end of each class, I was so surprised by how strong I felt and how satisfied I was that I completed a difficult workout.
Beast Mode is free for members — and through the month of October, it’s free to join the Y for non-members. Ⓟ
Weather
- 80º | Sunny | 5% chance of rain ☀️
Coming Soon
- Keipi — a Georgian restaurant — is coming to Hampton Station in early 2022. The traditional 2-3 hour dining experience will include sitting strangers together, singing + poetry and nearly 14 toasts (clink clink) before the night’s end. (Upstate Business Journal)
Number
- 400+. That’s how many jobs a new Walmart distribution center — over 720,000 sqft — could bring to Spartanburg county. The center, announced yesterday, would be Walmart’s largest distribution center yet and provide perishable groceries like eggs, dairy and produce to nearby stores. (FOX Carolina)
Civic
- A proposal to create an agricultural preservation district was approved by the Greenville County Council Planning and Development Committee on Monday, and will go before the full county council on Nov. 2. The agricultural preservation zoning category restricts land use to categories including agrotourism, farming, winemaking, and timber production. (Greenville Journal)
Drink
- Habitap modern taphouse and restaurant will soon be pouring up its very own brews. The exclusive soon-to-be-named line of lagers and ales is set to launch this winter. 🍺
Greenvillian
- Fallen WWII soldier Staff Sgt. William R. Linder, a Piedmont native, was finally accounted for more than 75 years after he was reported missing in November of 1944. Staff Sgt. Linder will be given a proper soldier’s burial in Anderson, SC on Oct. 29. (WYFF 4)
Outdoors
- The City of Greenville, Save Our Saluda, and the Foothills Paddling Club teamed up for a Reedy River cleanup over the weekend. A gas tank, a window + 41 tires were among the trash volunteers pulled from the river. ♻️ (WYFF 4)
Sports
- Furman scores some ESPN screentime. Furman men’s basketball will have 2 games shown on ESPN networks this 2021-2022 season. The Paladins play UNC Greensboro on ESPNNEWS on Jan. 5, 2022 at 7 p.m. + East Tennessee State on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
Stat
- Gas prices in Greenville rose 9.7 cents per gallon over the past week, with an average price of $3.08 per gallon as of Monday. This average is $1.21 higher than one year ago, but still 17 cents lower than the current national average of $3.25. (FOX Carolina)
Question
- What a delight. Greenville History Tour owner + friend of GVLtoday Jon Nolan noticed that the vacant Belgian Delights Restaurant building on Wade Hampton Boulevard. is being gutted. Does anyone know what we can get excited about going in this space? Let us know here.
Job
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville is hiring a Student Services Manager to inspire + challenge students to reach their fullest academic potential through various forms of professional support. See details and apply. Ⓟ
Health
- It’s hard to know what to say when someone shares their mental health struggles with you. Prisma Health psychiatrist Jeffrey Raynor, MD, offers advice on how to have these conversations, because you could save the life of someone close to you. Ⓟ
Learn
- Pro baseball players Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets have been using their downtime to learn new languages with Babbel, the No. 1 language learning app. Want to get started? Sign up for Babbel and get an exclusive deal (60% off). 🌎 Ⓟ
Correction
- Yesterday we shared with you an event: the 8th Annual Pearls & Pumps. The event has been rescheduled for May 3. You can register here.
The freshness of fall may still be in the air, but winter is coming — and so is the Main Street ice skating rink. Cue the festive music + pull out those cozy holiday sweaters.
Ice on Main will officially open on Nov. 12 and run through Jan. 17, 2022. To purchase tickets, view hours or even rent the rink out for an event, click here. Want to help work the rink? Apply here.
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Yesterday we asked you if you had ever seen a show at Greenville Memorial Auditorium when it was around and 91% of you said yes. 🎶
One reader even reached out to say they went to that very last Lynyrd Skynyrd show, and was kind enough to share a photo from that night.
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last ever show | Photo provided by a reader
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