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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Salvage Job: Washington Mills, Mayodan, NC



The guys headed down to Mayodan, NC recently to help save some of Washington Mills' (formerly Mayo Mills and later called Tultex) history.  


This 1.3 million square foot textile mill was built in the late 1800s on the banks of the Mayo River and was central to life in Mayodan, NC.  In the wake of overseas competition, unable to compete with prices, Tultex closed in 1999.  


While it is hard to see a piece of history pass, we are thankful that the new owner has taken the time to salvage and save so much from the landfill.

Here are just a few of the items the guys were able to save from the warehouse:






Industrial Cart


This table is a great example of reclaiming and renewing salvage.  Made from an industrial machine base, the top is salvaged heart pine floor decking from the factory.




1 comment:

John Buontempo said...

Just finished watching your TV program on Washington Mills in Mayodan, NC. I live 1/2 mile from the old mill and I hate to see it go. I was surprised to see the computer system in the basement and realized that it may possibly be the one I designed and programmed for the mill employees' payroll back in the 1980's. I worked as a computer system analyst and programmer for Washington Mills. The computer was an IBM 5280 system that used the large (8") diskettes.

There was a tunnel that ran from the basement to the building across the street (Wall Lumber Company). My brother-in-law bricked up every window on all 4 floors in the 1990's.

If I can be of any help, please contact me at jbuont@hotmail.com