The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-12-13
THE BEGINNING OF COTTON
MANUFACTURING IN THE
SOUTH.

1t is interesting to note some of the
early attempts at cotton manufacturing
in the South. While we look around
today and observe the busy hum of
The spindle and the loom we rejoice in
the era of prosperity which is now up.
on us. But consider for q moment
that these cotton mills, which are the
life and blood of the Sorth, are tic
outcome OF a movement which started
a century ago. At that time the South
was entering upon her career as n great
Agricultural community and was lust
beginning to feel the importance of tier
crops. Prior to that time the cotton
crop had not been in 80 great a dem
and as there had not been any way of
separating the lint from the seed. With
the invention of Whitney's cotton gin
i'll 1884 the South along with the rest
OF the world awoke to the wonderful
possibilities of cotton manufacturing.
In 1911 the first cotton mill in GeOr.
gia began life. 1t was a small mill, on
Upton Creek in Wilkes county, nine
miles southeast of Washington. This
mill stood near the site of the Building
in which Whitney operated HE gin. 1t
was built of stone quarlied in the vicin-
lty. Its size was sixty by fly, quite q
plant for those early day. Over the
front door was inserted the name Boil
ton, with 1911 beneath.
a great deal of comment was caused
by this mill, and with the ample prep
arations made for Its sure foundations
(Which are to be seen today it should
have been a success. But it was not.
So it was closed up and the machinery
sold to Thomas Talbot of the neighbor-
hood, who began to operate it, making
cloth for hts slaves.
In 1913, the scene is transferred to
North Carolina. In this year Michael
Schenck and Absalom Warlick built a
mil! near Lincolnton, N. G.. The ma
chinery was mostly q home product,
having been constructed on the prem
ises by Michael Bean. He contracted
to install 2 spinning frames with 70
flyer spindles each, 2 cards and a pick
er Tor $1,000. And he performed his
task satisfactorily. This mill had a
floor space of 25 square feet. The spin
ming was done on a spinning jenny
which was the predecessor of the mule.
The yarn spun was reeled off into
hanks and skeins and sold as fast as it
could be made for so cents n pound.
The scene q changes northward
to Greensboro, N. G., where in 1880
Henry Humphreys built the Mount
Hecla Mills. This was the first steam
cotton mill in North Carolina. Great
difficulty was experienced in getting
the machinery to the mill. Fast freights
were not known then Gas the
rails for them to run on had not been
laid) so the machinery was shipped in
to Wilmington, N. c., from Philadel-
phia BY boat. Thence it travelled up
the Cape Fear to Fayetteville, N. G.
Here it was unloaded and carried to
Greensboro GU wagons. This mill was
afterwards sold to Thomas Il. Tate, a
clerk OF Humphreys, who removed it
to Mountain Island, TO be operated by
the magnificent water power of the
Catawba.
The next great boom which was felt
in cotton manufacturing was tho one
begun when T.. M. Holt established
his first mill on Alamance Creek, in
Orange county, N. G. This gentleman
has been rightly called the "Parent
Plaid Producer" and so he was. Since
that day who of us in the South has
not heard of Alamance plaids? Tho n
telligcnce and foresight of this one man
has resulted in the establishment of
the numbers of Holt mills which dot
the State of North Carolina.
About this time in South Carolina a
cotton mill was built. 1t was located
at Vaucluse and it's construction was
begun in 1888. General McDume and
Mitchell King were the owners.
This now brings us to n time when
the beginning of another great manu-
featuring firm was made. In 1885,
Francis FIRES and DIR. Schuman built q
mill at Salem, N. G. Out of this in
dustry has grown the great establish
which now do so much credit to
Winston-Salem, N. G.
In 1888, o cotton mill was construct.
ed In Concord, N. G. 1t was oper ted
By the Concord Mfg. Co. This company
succeeded in 1879 ny the Odell
Mfg. Co., which has bee 'e one of the
most prominent manufacturing con-
Germs in North Carolina. The ability
and good management Of its president,
Capt. j. M. Odell, has directed the
pnp,ponuta ,rorukL ex