Rural Industrialization in the Southeast Coastal Plain: Case Study of a New Brick Factory in Summerville, S.C.

Excerpts from the report Summary: In its first year of operation -- 1963 -- a new brick factory in Dorchester County, S.C., provided jobs for 24 county residents and for one from an adjoining county. The plant provided jobs for those most needing them: poor, unskilled rural male laborers, who had been working seasonally at lower pay in farm, construction, and sawmill jobs. Operation of the factory also generated 10 more business- and consumer-linked jobs: service and repair of machinery, advertising, and sales of clay and packing and office supplies. Most of these jobs were in a four-county area around Charleston, S.C. The study indicates that there are opportunities for constructing various types of factories in the three rural counties to serve Charleston. These factories would provide jobs for the rural poor who are being forced out of agriculture and forestry, and help upgrade their work skills. Educational levels also need improvemen