Pilot Mills Company records, 1890-1971
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Summary
- Abstract:
- The Pilot Mills Company was a cotton textile mill based in Raleigh, North Carolina and founded in 1892. Files in the collection include correspondence (1892-1918), legal records (1892-1922), financial records (1890-1971), plans and blueprints (1890-1971), printed material (1906), and other records relating to the mill's construction and equipping, its ownership, and its financial operations. Persons represented include co-founder William Holt Williamson.
- Extent:
- 9 Linear Feet (5 boxes; 4 oversize folders; 1 volume)
- Language:
- English
- Collection ID:
- RL.11842
Background
- Scope and content:
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Collection comprises correspondence (1892-1918), legal records (1892-1922), financial records (1890-1971), plans and blueprints (1890-1971), printed material (1906), and other records relating to the Pilot Mills Company, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and its construction and equipping, its ownership, and its financial operations. There are four folders of oversize materials, chiefly blueprints and plans; there are also several volumes. Persons represented include co-owner William Holt Williamson.
- Biographical / historical:
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The Pilot Mill Company was one of two textile mills in Raleigh that produced gray goods (unfinished cotton). The site was purchased in 1892 by James and William Williamson and the first mill building was built that same year. The 1892 building was built with bricks made by prisoners at the North Carolina State Prison (then located where the NC State Fairgrounds currently stands). The 1892 Building housed the mill's spinning and weaving functions. In 1910, Pilot Mills expanded into a new building, built that year, next to the first building. The Williamson family operated the mill until 1918, after which several owners operated it until its closure around 1982. The mill was then used as a warehouse until its purchase for redevelopment in 1988. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
[Source: Capital Area Preservation, Raleigh, "The 1910 Building at Pilot Mill," accessed April 28, 2020]
- Acquisition information:
- The Pilot Mills Company records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1983.
- Processing information:
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Collection has been given core-level processing by library staff.
Collection guide encoded from inventory by Paula Jeannet, April 2020.
This collection guide was created or updated with information provided by donors or external parties, and box or file lists have not been verified by Rubenstein Library staff. Errors may be present and can be reported to AskRL@duke.edu.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Pilot Mills Company records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1093h