Vance Cotton Mill

Named in honor of Governor Zebulon Vance, the Vance Cotton Mill was organized in 1891 by N. B. McCanless, D. R. Julian, Dr. C. M. Van Poole, Julius Lineberger, Rev. Francis Murdoch, and others.   It was located at 1303 North Lee Street.  Murdoch was the first president and on his death in 1909, was succeeded by Lineberger.  In 1891,Vance Mills had 10,000 spindles and no looms.  In 1921, the mill was headed by W. F. Snider, who operated it until Carl A. Rudisill bought the mill in 1931. He expanded it greatly and changed the name to Cartex.  While operating as Cartex Mill, it employed 250 to 300 workers. When the mill closed in 1990, 88 workers lost their jobs. A Canadian firm bought the plant and operated it as Superior Yarns. In 2001, the company filed for bankruptcy, and the plant closed a few months later.  Ownership of the property went to the county and city after the mill closed in mid-2001. In December of 2002, the building was destroyed by fire.

No series – the Albertype Co. Brooklyn N.Y.

Source: 

Brawley, James Shober The Rowan Story 1753-1953: A Narrative History of Rowan County North Carolina Salisbury: Rowan Printing Company, 1953

Burchette, Jessie  “Cartex Mill Cleanup Commences” Salisbury Post, June 30, 2004

Hood, Davyd Foard The Architecture of Rowan County North Carolina: A Catalogue and History of Surviving 18th, 19th, and 20th Structures  Salisbury: Historic Salisbury Foundation, 2000

Salisbury/Spencer City Directories

Sides, Susan Salisbury and Rowan County Charleston, SC: Arcadia, c1999

WVNC RAILS - Lost Salisbury 
http://www.wvncrails.org/lost-salisbury.html  

Theo Buerbaum

The materials in this collection are made available courtesy of Rowan Public Library for use in research and private study. Images and text may not be used without prior permission from Rowan Public Library, Edith M. Clark History Room.

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