Spinning Threads: The Story of Michael Erastus Rudisill, Founder of Henry River Mill and Village

As farms in the South struggled to survive after the end of the Civil War, cotton mills and mill villages, operated by hydro power from local rivers, provided work for those leaving the farms. In 1900, Michael Rudisill, an engineer from Cherryville, North Carolina, traveled to an area southwest of Hickory, North Carolina, to create the Henry River Cotton Mill and Village on 1,500 acres of pristine land. He partnered with members of the John Aderholdt family to establish The Henry River Manufacturing Company. This is the story of Michael’s life and his amazing accomplishments: building a dam across the Henry River, surveying the land, and building the cotton mill, thirty-five houses for the mill-working families, a general store, a boarding house, and a reservoir. In 1912, Michael built a bridge across the Henry River, which was widely reported to be the highest bridge in North Carolina. Michael and his wife, Emma Aderholdt Rudisill, moved to Henry River in 1905 and raised their ten children there. A man of great Christian faith, Michael began holding Lutheran church services in the village as soon as his family moved there. Over the years, that early gathering of worshippers became the Mt. Hebron Lutheran Church in Hildebran, North Carolina. Michael and Emma also established school classes in the village for the mill family children and for adults, the first classes for adults ever offered in North Carolina. This is a true pioneering story of the courage and personal initiative of one of many who literally changed the landscape of Western North Carolina.
ASIN: B0CKGTBPRT
VSKU: BVV.B0CKGTBPRT.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Bullock, Elizabeth Brinson
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.