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

12-13 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: AUTOMATIONComputerized 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:1992-97

Textile mill shipments hit new records every year

Record $83.9 billion in 1997.

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 1996.

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 1997

    2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 TOTAL

United States 37 116 29 35 26 14 252

- North Carolina 15 31 14 16 9 6 91

- South Carolina 5 31 6 5 4 6 57

- Georgia 1 16 2 4 6 0 29

- Virginia 3 4 1 3 2 1 14

- Alabama 1 7 0 0 0 1 9

- All other states 12 22 6 7 5 0 52

DRAYTON:1909

DRAYTON 2003

SPARTA MILL:1909

SPARTA MILL: 2003

BEAUMONT: 1909

BEAUMONT MILL :2003

BIBLIOGRAPHY

WWW.LOC.GOV

WWW.ATMI.ORG

WWW.CRAFTEDWITHPRIDE.ORG

Textile Town, Hub City Writers, 2002