Local Perspectives: To gain detail about the area was like before Lake Norman
Before Lake Norman, the areas surrounding the Catawba River were very different. Farming, cotton mills, and textile mills were the way of life (Jacobs, 2008). Families were struggling to provide for themselves. Farmers raised their own food and the families usually made their own clothing (Gleasner & Gleasner, 1986). The Cowans Ford dam permanently changed the way the area looked and affected thousands of people, roads, and businesses. Businesses like the East Monbo and Long Island cotton mills were forced to close because the
location would soon become flooded (Furr, 1988). The East Monbo mill was built in 1907 by W. D. Turner, but
production didn’t get started until around 1910 (Furr, 1988.) To gain perceptive of the times, I interviewed two local residents, Kay Cline and Shirley Sherrill. Not only were the mills forced to close, but the people that lived in the mill villages were also forced to leave their homes (Sherrill, 2012). Shirley Sherrill grew up in the East Monbo mill village. Prior to the mill closing she got married and moved to Troutman a few years before the mill closed, affecting her family and friends. I spoke with Mrs. Sherrill about what life was like living in the mill village and how the lake affected everyone. I also spoke with Kay Cline a lady that grew up less than a quarter of a mile away from the East Monbo mill. Mrs. Cline was in middle school when the mill was closed. Both
ladies said that the families that lived in the village were like one big family regardless if they had blood ties or not. Most of the mills in the area provided the workers with a home. Mrs. Sherrill remembers that the East Monbo mill had three or four different house plans and the workers could pick from the plans the home they wanted to have built. Mrs. Sherrill said that the rent for these home were 25 cents per room for a month. Mrs. Cline remembers going to the general store at the mill to get a treat. The store was run by A.C. Brown and
inside the store there was a post office (Cline, 2012). Mrs. Cline explained that there was one main dirt road leading to the mill, with little roads extending off of the main road where the mill homes were located. She also said that the parts of the land where the lake would fill up were full of gullies. Mrs. Cline said she was sad to hear that the lake was coming because she knew it would change her way of life. Mrs. Sherrill said that the families that lived in the East Monbo mill village were given their home, but they had to purchase the
land where the home would be moved to and pay to have the home moved. Mrs. Cline and I both live on East Monbo road and while talking with her, she pointed out several homes on our road that used to be in the mill village. She also said that several of the homes were moved to various places in Troutman, with a small cluster of the homes residing near Troutman Baptist Church. People that lived where the lake would be were forced to move. Some were able to trade their land for property that would become lake front. Mrs. Sherrill talked about a baseball field that was located on the bank of the Catawba River near the East Monbo Mill. She said everyone would go to the river on the weekends to watch the baseball game or to just relax by the water. There was a baseball teams from Statesville, Mooresville, the Long Island cotton mill area, and the East Monbo Mill.
In 1925 the East Monbo Mill was bought by the Southern Power Company and became known as the Superior Yarn Mills (Stonestreet II, 2000). In 1925 the mill produced on average 12,000 pounds of yarn from 10,000 spindles (Stonestreet II, 2000). At that time the mill employed around 100 people and there were about 50 homes in the mill village (Stonestreet II, 2000). After the Southern Power Company bought the East Monbo Mill, they began to convert the mill to run off of electricity (Stonestreet II, 2000). The process was completed in October of 1974 (Stonestreet II, 2000).
Mr. James Williams, a relative of Mrs. Kay Cline's, worked at the Long Island Cotton Mill and was quoted in an article Dam Project Forced Cotton Mill Closings saying “one spring day in either April or May, the
people were told the mill be would closing in October.” Mr. Williams called it a “traumatic time” saying “we had to look for new jobs and take jobs we weren’t trained for.” Later in that same article Mr. Williams said “most of the mill village people were better off in the long haul," explaining that many of the people might have never left for anything better. Some mill workers were able to find jobs in Statesville and Mooresville, North Carolina at factories and warehouses, Mrs. Cline said a lot of people worked for the JCPenny’s Warehouse in Statesville.
location would soon become flooded (Furr, 1988). The East Monbo mill was built in 1907 by W. D. Turner, but
production didn’t get started until around 1910 (Furr, 1988.) To gain perceptive of the times, I interviewed two local residents, Kay Cline and Shirley Sherrill. Not only were the mills forced to close, but the people that lived in the mill villages were also forced to leave their homes (Sherrill, 2012). Shirley Sherrill grew up in the East Monbo mill village. Prior to the mill closing she got married and moved to Troutman a few years before the mill closed, affecting her family and friends. I spoke with Mrs. Sherrill about what life was like living in the mill village and how the lake affected everyone. I also spoke with Kay Cline a lady that grew up less than a quarter of a mile away from the East Monbo mill. Mrs. Cline was in middle school when the mill was closed. Both
ladies said that the families that lived in the village were like one big family regardless if they had blood ties or not. Most of the mills in the area provided the workers with a home. Mrs. Sherrill remembers that the East Monbo mill had three or four different house plans and the workers could pick from the plans the home they wanted to have built. Mrs. Sherrill said that the rent for these home were 25 cents per room for a month. Mrs. Cline remembers going to the general store at the mill to get a treat. The store was run by A.C. Brown and
inside the store there was a post office (Cline, 2012). Mrs. Cline explained that there was one main dirt road leading to the mill, with little roads extending off of the main road where the mill homes were located. She also said that the parts of the land where the lake would fill up were full of gullies. Mrs. Cline said she was sad to hear that the lake was coming because she knew it would change her way of life. Mrs. Sherrill said that the families that lived in the East Monbo mill village were given their home, but they had to purchase the
land where the home would be moved to and pay to have the home moved. Mrs. Cline and I both live on East Monbo road and while talking with her, she pointed out several homes on our road that used to be in the mill village. She also said that several of the homes were moved to various places in Troutman, with a small cluster of the homes residing near Troutman Baptist Church. People that lived where the lake would be were forced to move. Some were able to trade their land for property that would become lake front. Mrs. Sherrill talked about a baseball field that was located on the bank of the Catawba River near the East Monbo Mill. She said everyone would go to the river on the weekends to watch the baseball game or to just relax by the water. There was a baseball teams from Statesville, Mooresville, the Long Island cotton mill area, and the East Monbo Mill.
In 1925 the East Monbo Mill was bought by the Southern Power Company and became known as the Superior Yarn Mills (Stonestreet II, 2000). In 1925 the mill produced on average 12,000 pounds of yarn from 10,000 spindles (Stonestreet II, 2000). At that time the mill employed around 100 people and there were about 50 homes in the mill village (Stonestreet II, 2000). After the Southern Power Company bought the East Monbo Mill, they began to convert the mill to run off of electricity (Stonestreet II, 2000). The process was completed in October of 1974 (Stonestreet II, 2000).
Mr. James Williams, a relative of Mrs. Kay Cline's, worked at the Long Island Cotton Mill and was quoted in an article Dam Project Forced Cotton Mill Closings saying “one spring day in either April or May, the
people were told the mill be would closing in October.” Mr. Williams called it a “traumatic time” saying “we had to look for new jobs and take jobs we weren’t trained for.” Later in that same article Mr. Williams said “most of the mill village people were better off in the long haul," explaining that many of the people might have never left for anything better. Some mill workers were able to find jobs in Statesville and Mooresville, North Carolina at factories and warehouses, Mrs. Cline said a lot of people worked for the JCPenny’s Warehouse in Statesville.