Glencoe Mill Village offers a unique glimpse of a 1880s cotton mill and village. The 105-acre site along the Haw River includes the mill complex, 32 houses, the mill store, office, lodge and other associated buildings. The site is of great historical and environmental significance.

HISTORY OF THE SITE

Glencoe Mills, Inc. was incorporated in 1880 by James H. and William E. Holt, sons of the great textile pioneer E. M. Holt. Glencoe was the last water-powered mill developed by the Holts. The mill closed in 1954, and through the years the mill village was gradually vacated. Listed many years ago in the National Register of Historic Places, Glencoe has been described by the National Park Service as "a nationally significant site representative of the Southern textile mill village and its role in the industrialization of the American South." The National Park Service is considering listing Glencoe as a National Historic Landmark, the highest historical designation in the United States.

Although Preservation North Carolina knew about Glencoe and its significance for years, it wasn't until PNC had successfully neared completion of the Edenton Cotton Mill and mill village that the organization felt that it had the capacity to begin the rehabilitation of Glencoe. In June 1997, Preservation North Carolina purchased the Glencoe property in a bargain sale. This purchase was made possible by the generous donation of Sarah Rhyne. In 1998, nearly 90 architects, landscape architects, planners and other design professionals participated in a design charrette at Glencoe. Based on the results of the charrette, a master plan has been completed by a highly respected landscape architect. Among the goals of the Glencoe master plan are preserving the extant historic structures, permanently conserving open space along the Haw River, and encouraging the development of compatible new infill.

Read more about the history at Glencoe at the Glencoe Research Forum.

PROGRESS TOWARD COMPLETION

Of the 32 mill houses available for renovation as single-family homes, only one remains. The houses were built with sturdy post-and-beam frames, some of which were filled with brick nogging insulation. Many of the houses were expanded with a kitchen ell in the early 20th century. All houses need new wiring, plumbing, and HVAC, plus new kitchens and baths. Many also require a new roof, window sashes, porch decking, and structural repairs. PNC sold its first house by demonstrating with a model house how a detached outbuilding (formerly a kitchen) can be linked to the main structure. Public water and sewer services have been extended to the village. All houses are being sold with protective covenants and a rehabilitation agreement. All are candidates for NC's 30% state historic preservation tax credits.

An experienced developer of historic properties will rehabilitate the 85,000 sq. ft. of available historic industrial space. Approximately 47 acres of undeveloped land may be developed into park lands.

Current projects in the village include the implementation of a $360,000 Transportation Enhancement Grant that includes the underground utilities, street trees, interpretive signage, and placing a 1909 truss bridge across the millrace to the island. Also, Preservation North Carolina has constructed a model infill house that is designed to blend with the existing mill houses and restore the original street rhythm of the village. This house was selected by Country Living magazine to be a feature house in the February 2002 issue. In addition to featuring the house and the mill village in an extensive article, Country Living Magazine is also selling the plans for this house nationally.

BENEFITS TO THE SURROUNDING REGION

The revitalization of Glencoe Mill and Mill Village will directly contribute more than $10 million into the economy of Alamance County. In addition to the restoration of the existing buildings, ten new infill houses will be built under tight design review. Mill villages such as Glencoe Mill Villages incorporate many of the elements espoused by New Urbanists: being compact, walkable communities; having mixed uses; being comprised of houses with front porches, etc. And yet, as existing communities, their environmental impact is substantially less than new development since no forests or fields are destroyed by construction.

Glencoe Mill and Mill Village has the potential to be a major tourist destination for North Carolina. Since its purchase by Preservation North Carolina, Glencoe has received extensive attention in publications and on television. Glencoe is being promoted locally as a tourist attraction even in its deteriorated state.

Local preservationists have begun a museum where visitors can learn about textiles' influence in the post-war South. Glencoe may someday be an attraction on the scale of Old Salem. Many Southerners have ancestors who worked in the textile industry, and Glencoe's authenticity and its location close to major transportation links will enhance its popularity as a destination.

If the land along the Haw River becomes a public park (as planned), then its popularity will be enhanced even further. A site that combines historical, cultural, natural, environmental and recreational attractions is truly rare and special.

Click here to see information about the textile heritage museum.

A SPECIAL PLACE

Glencoe is an exceptional historic preservation project because it also encompasses major preservation, conservation and environmental components.

PNC's recent work with mill properties like Glencoe is in response to recent transformations in North Carolina’s economy. The state’s industrial base is evolving in response to changes in the global economy. Giant factories built at the turn of the last century are being vacated at a dizzying pace. The rehabilitation of Glencoe Mill can show by example how abandoned mills can turn into economic engines for their communities.

Glencoe is truly a special place. The site includes nearly a mile of frontage along the Haw River (including 2600 feet of undeveloped frontage) and is home to beaver, deer, groundhog, raccoon, and other species common to riparian areas in the Piedmont. When Glencoe is completed, planners, preservationists, journalists and others interested in neighborhood revitalization will study Glencoe's revival and how it can be replicated elsewhere.