Pictured here is the original Waldensian Hosiery Mill in Valdese, with its employees in 1901. The mill’s roots trace back to John Meir’s 1895 Valdese knitting operation. After following Meir to work at his mill in South Carolina, John and Francis Garrou and Antoine Grill returned to start their own venture, securing a loan with mortgages on their farms. The facility was constructed using timber from their land, then finished with corrugated metal. The mill began operations on May 8, 1901, with 20 employees and featured 12 Boss knitting machines powered by a steam engine. Employees earned 35-50 cents per day. The three partners initially drew salaries of just $5 per month. The business was incorporated in 1914 and inspired the development of other industries in Valdese. This image was submitted by Dr. Ben Garrou to Picture Burke, a digital photograph preservation project of the Burke County Public Library.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.