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INTRODUCTION TO GLENCOE, NC
Glencoe is a classic cotton mill village, one of numerous that were built in the Piedmont area of North Carolina in the nineteenth century. Textile pioneer James H. Holt (1833-1897) built Glencoe on a gentle stretch of the Haw River in the 1880s. Although the mill ceased operations in the 1950s, many of the mill buildings and village homes remain and look today as they did in the 1880s. Glencoe is located three miles north of Burlington, off NC #62.
The wages paid by the mill attracted many families who had been farmers for generations. Since the mills were often built at a distance from towns or cities, the mill owners provided housing for their employees. The mill village became a community unto itself, with a company store, barber shop, and churches.
The mill is closed now and the homes are in disrepair. However, because of the unique heritage that Glencoe represents, it has been nominated as a National Landmark and has been listed in the National Register as a Historic District. Just recently, Preservation North Carolina acquired the property and buildings and is in the process of selling the homes to persons who will restore and live in them. It's wonderful that Glencoe will be a living community again!
You will find information about Glencoe, and southern cotton mill life in general, on other pages of the Glencoe Research Forum. All information is either in the public domain or used with the permission of the author. I hope you will find the information helpful in your research.