AMERICA’S FIRST INDUSTRY

1789 THE US CONSTITUTION WAS WRITTEN SAMUEL SLATER BROUGHT THE FIRST TEXTILE MACHINERY TO THE US

IMPROVEMENTS 1792 : ELI WHITNEY INVENTED THE COTTON GIN SHORT STAPLE COTTON BECAME PROFITABLE THROUGHOUT SOUTH CAROLINA

1814: FRANCIS CABOT LOWELL’S WALTHAM MILL BOSTON: CHARLES RIVER

1815: LINCOLNTON, NC MICHAEL SCHENCK BUILT FIRST TEXTILE MILL IN THE SOUTH.

1816:SC COTTON MANUFACTORY FIRST TEXTILE MILL IN SPARTANBURG, SC BUILT BY PHILIP AND LINDSAY WEAVER ON THE TYGER RIVER

1836: GLENDALE MILLS JAMES BIVINGS ESTABLISHED BIVINGSVILLE COTTON MANUFACTURING ON LAWSON’S FORK CREEK

1846 : FAIRMONT SPARTANBURG’S FIRST MILL VILLAGE AND SCHOOLS

WAGES $89 PER YEAR FOR FEMALE WORKERS $139 PER YEAR FOR MALE WORKERS HOUR DAYS 6 DAYS A WEEK

WHY NORTH INVESTED IN SOUTH’S TEXTILE MILLS CHEAP LABOR CLOSE TO SOURCE OF COTTON LOW TAXES LUMBER FROM AMPLE FORESTS

AFTER CIVIL WAR AGRICULTURE NOT AS PROFITABLE SC LEGISLATURE ENCOURAGED MANUFACTURING THROUGH FAVORABLE TAXES

MILL ARCHITECTURE RED BRICKS MADE FROM LOCAL CLAY ROWS OF WINDOWS FOR AIR AND LIGHT

MILL HOUSES SIMILAR TO NEW ENGLAND SALTBOX MODIFIED FOR SOUTH WITH PORCH AND LOWER PITCHED ROOF

MILL VILLAGE MILL AT CENTER OF VILLAGE COMPANY STORE CHURCH AND SCHOOL BUILT BY MILL OWNERS

1950s: AUTOMATION Computerized looms consume a mile of yarn a minute

Yarn spinning plants which are completely automated, can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

GOOD NUMBERS: Textile mill shipments hit new records every year Record $83.9 billion in Textile corporate profits hit a record $2.1 billion in 1992 and remained strong through 1998.

“BAD” NUMBERS Textile imports from Asia have increased 80% since Since NAFTA: 625,000 textile jobs disappeared

CONTRIBUTIONS OF AMERICAN TEXTILES Wrinkle-free cotton fabrics for apparel and home furnishing products Lightweight, warmth retentive fleece garments Carpets and clothes with anti-microbial finishes that repel germs, bacteria, mold and mildew, even after being washed.

Artificial arteries Lightweight fire protective clothing Barrier fabrics for road and highway construction and oil-absorbent textiles for containing environmental spills. Camouflage fabrics that change colors to blend into the surrounding environment.

Fabrics that “adjust” to ambient temperature and can either “cool down” or “heat up” depending on the circumstances. “Sensor” fibers that can detect wounds and alert medical personnel. Fabrics “programmed” to automatically release medication when an injury occurs. Heat shields for space shuttles

CRAFTED WITH PRIDE.ORG

SINCE TOTAL United States North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Virginia Alabama All other states

DRAYTON:1909

DRAYTON 2003

SPARTA MILL:1909

SPARTA MILL: 2003

BEAUMONT: 1909

BEAUMONT MILL :2003

BIBLIOGRAPHY Textile Town, Hub City Writers, 2002