The 1930s were a busy time for the Coca-Cola Company. The company continued to grow and to develop its products and marketing images. You can read about those changes here. While the Coca-Cola Company developed nationally and even internationally, so too did the Mauldin family in Rock Hill (and other beautiful areas of South Carolina).
The Mauldins Invest in Real Estate
William Mark Mauldin was always searching for new venues for investment. His son Cecil Mauldin went to Florida to run the orange grove that Mark purchased. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was another opportunity for investment. Ocean Drive was being developed and Mark purchased real estate from time to time. The Mauldin family owned beach houses and spent many summers at Myrtle Beach. The first house was on Ocean Boulevard at 29th Street. Later they purchased the house (still existing) that was built by the Chapin Company on the northwest corner of 41st North and Ocean Boulevard. Finally, in 1954, Mark built a home at 5000 N. Ocean Boulevard and it remained the family’s beach house until 1984.
A Loss Saddens the Mauldin Family
The family was saddened by the unexpected news they received in November of 1937. Their beautiful daughter Margaret, who had been treated for tuberculosis since her time in college at Randolph Macon College in Virginia, died unexpectedly on November 11 at the age of 29. Margaret had been treated in a sanitarium in Asheville, NC, and at the time of her death was living in Washington, DC. Margaret had been the artistic individual in the family. She loved the theater and was most likely the impetus for Mayme’s involvement in the creation of the Little Theater of Rock Hill. Margaret had several of her articles published and was looking forward to beginning a career in the Washington area when her life was cut short. Once again the family had to pull together for support and comfort.
W. M. Mauldin, Jr. Begins at Rock Hill Coca-Cola
In 1934, W. M. (Billy) Mauldin, Jr. graduated from the University of Virginia and began working in New York. In 1937, Billy began his long career at the Rock Hill Coca-Cola Bottling Company.