“M” is for Mullins

“M” is for Mullins (Marion County; 2020 population 4,026). Mullins did not exist when the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad arrived in 1854, but the town grew up around the railway station. The town was named for William Sydney Mullins.  In the 1890s bright leaf tobacco became a commercial crop in the area. In 1894 the first tobacco sales building in Mullins was completed and the first auction sale was held that same year. Additional warehouses followed. Throughout the twentieth century Mullins remained the largest tobacco market in the state. Today the traditional auction warehouse system has been replaced by contracted tobacco sales. Some of the tobacco warehouses remain but the structures have been repurposed for other uses and businesses. In a nod to its history, Mullins sponsors an annual Golden Leaf Festival that attracts numerous visitors.