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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 102.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 93,800 items) |
| Abstract | Burlington Industries, Inc., founded by James Spencer Love (1896-1962), opened its first cotton manufacturing plant in 1924 in Burlington, N.C., with 200 employees. (An early name was Burlington Mills Corporation; the name was changed to Burlington Industries, Inc. in 1955.) The company grew quickly by switching to rayon manufacturing. During the 1920s and 1930s, Burlington added plants, a New York City sales office, and, in 1935, moved its corporate headquarters from Burlington to Greensboro, N.C. With the outbreak of World War II, Burlington Industries shifted to meet war production needs and to work on related government projects. Post war, Burlington renewed its diversification efforts and continued to expand for the next four decades. By the end of the 1980s, Burlington operated plants in seven states and two other countries and employed 26,000 people. Burlington counted itself among the industry leaders in use of innovative manufacturing technology and development of a well-trained, dedicated work force. During the 1990s, the company endured significant financial losses and employee layoffs before filing for bankruptcy in 2001. In 2003, Burlington Industries was purchased and the following year merged with Cone Mills into a new private company called International Textile Group (ITG). The collection consists of the records of Burlington Industries, Inc., including business papers of James Spencer Love, founder and chair of the board; public relations materials; photographic and audiovisual materials; corporate history materials; and other related materials. Love's interoffice correspondence documents a business culture that embraced management ideas and business innovations and the development of successful managers and executives. Love also corresponded with other industry-related companies and organizations, and with politicians and other public figures, including Frank Porter Graham, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson, and Harry S. Truman, among others. His opinions on politicians; other textile magnates; organized labor; and international relations, particularly with Cuba, are found throughout his correspondence. Public relations materials were created for internal and external audiences of Burlington Industries and include sales and earnings reports; news releases; annual reports; historical subject files documenting the history of Burlington Industries and its subsidiaries; contemporary subject files documenting human resources and employee relations, the company's charitable and philanthropic initiatives, and its 50th anniversary observance; publications for trade and employee audiences; scrapbooks and related files with news about James Spencer Love, Burlington Industries, and its subsidiaries; and advertisements from newspapers and magazines. Photographic materials depict the textile plants of Burlington Industries, Inc., especially plant exteriors, including many aerial shots; textile industry machinery; employees, primarily in their work environments; and various company and industry events, including shareholders meetings, trade fairs, and the Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament. There is one photograph album of pictures of plants, taken in 1937. Audiovisual materials include audio, film, and video that document commercials for Burlington Industries products; annual reports; human resources and public relations topics, chiefly concerning the company image, and employee training and education; research and development of new products; and news broadcasts featuring stories about Burlington Industries and related industry topics. There are also corporate history materials; speeches given by Charles F. Myers Jr., executive vice president and treasurer of Burlington Industries, Inc. at industry and business and civic community events; miscellaneous accounting and operations ledgers for Burlington Mills Corporation, Gastonia Cotton Manufacturing Company, Dover Books, and an unidentified mill (or mills) that operated between 1844 and 1877; samples of wool and cotton at various stages in the manufacturing process; and production analytics, 1949-1951, with fabric samples and laborer and machine production measurements. |
| Creator | Burlington Industries, Inc. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
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Related Collections
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Historical Information
Note that Burlington Industries, Inc. has been known by several names through the years, including Burlington Mills Corporation. To avoid encumbering researchers will the need to understand the name chronology, the company is referred to, with very few exceptions, as Burlington Industries, Inc. or Burlington Industries in this finding aid.
Burlington Industries, Inc., founded by James Spencer Love (1896-1962), opened its first plant in 1924 in Burlington, N.C. The company employed 200 people. The first products were flag cloth, bunting, cotton scrims, curtain and dress fabrics, and diaper cloth ("birdseye"), all made of cotton. These products promptly went out of style. Love tried new products, but business did not improve until he switched to rayon manufacturing, then only in its experimental stage. Within a few years, Burlington Industries became a national leader in rayon textiles as a result of its popular rayon bedspreads.
Burlington Industries opened a second plant in 1926 and a New York sales office in 1929. The company went to a 40-hour work week in 1933. In 1935, corporate headquarters moved from Burlington to Greensboro, N.C., to be closer to rail transportation to New York City. During the 1930s, Burlington continued to grow in size, acquiring and reopening competitors' mills that had closed during the Great Depression. By the end of 1936, Burlington had 22 plants in nine communities with sales of $25 million. The following year, the company reorganized to consolidate its various associated companies and made its initial appearance on the New York Stock Exchange.
With the outbreak of World War II, Burlington Industries shifted to meet war production needs. More than 4,000 Burlington employees entered the military and were replaced by women in the plants. Burlington research laboratories also worked on government projects, including the development of parachute cloth made with a new fiber, nylon.
After the war, Burlington renewed its diversification efforts and continued to grow rapidly. New plants were built with one wooden wall that could be torn down in short order to add more floor space. The wooden wall made Burlington plants easy to spot and was a sign of the company's post-war growth. In 1955, the company changed its name to Burlington Industries, Inc. to reflect the vastly diversified nature of the corporation.
Burlington Industries came under new leadership for the first time in 1962, upon the death of founder James Spencer Love. During the next decade, Burlington opened new merchandising offices at Burlington House in New York City, N.Y., and a new corporate office building in Greensboro in 1971.
Burlington Industries was a leader in textile manufacturing in many ways. It was the first textile firm to advertise on network television (1952) and to pass the $1 billion mark in sales (1962) and then $3 billion in sales (1981). Burlington also counted itself among the industry leaders in developing employee and community relations, environmental protection, minority employment, employee health and safety, and employee training and educational concerns.
Burlington's capital spending for new and modernized plants also was notable in the 1980s. Advanced and innovative manufacturing technology applied effectively by a well-trained, dedicated work force improved efficiency and productivity rates at a time when American industrial activity generally waned. At the end of the 1980s, Burlington operated plants in seven states and two other countries and employed 26,000 people. Its major products included yarns, apparel fabrics for dress, work, and leisure; carpets and rugs; and home furnishings items such as mattress ticking, upholstery fabric, draperies, and bedspreads.
In 1987, Burlington Industries avoided a hostile takeover by becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Burlington Holdings, Inc., a private company owned by Morgan Stanley Group, Inc. and other investors. Burlington Industries returned to the New York Stock Exchange in 1992, but much of the rest of the decade was marked by financial losses and employee layoffs. Burlington Industries filed for bankruptcy in 2001. In 2003, Wilbur L. Ross purchased Burlington Industries, and, in 2004, he announced the merger of Cone Mills and Burlington Industries into a new private company called International Textile Group (ITG).
Sources: "Burlington Industries: A Brief History," Public Relations, Burlington Industries, Inc., March 1989 and the News and Record Research Wiki: Burlington Industries .
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Scope and Content
The collection consists of the records of Burlington Industries, Inc., including business papers of James Spencer Love, founder and chair of the board; public relations materials; photographic and audiovisual materials; corporate history materials; and other related materials. Love's interoffice correspondence documents a business culture that emphasized ongoing evaluation and assessment of company decisions, exploration of new management ideas and business innovations, and development of successful managers and executives. Other business correspondence concerns people, companies, and organizations that were not part of Burlington Industries but that interacted with the company or Love. His files also include studies of textiles, board of directors materials, compensation information, stocks, and company reorganization, and correspondence with politicians and other public figures, including Frank Porter Graham, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson, and Harry S. Truman, among others. Love's opinions of various people and subjects, including politicians; other textile magnates; organized labor; and international relations, particularly with Cuba, are found throughout his correspondence.
Public relations materials were created for internal and external audiences of Burlington Industries and include sales and earnings reports; news releases; annual and quarterly reports; historical subject files documenting the history of Burlington Industries and its subsidiaries; contemporary subject files documenting human resources and employee relations, the charitable and philanthropic initiatives of Burlington Industries, and the company's 50th anniversary observance; publications for trade and employee audiences; scrapbooks and related files with news about James Spencer Love, Burlington Industries, and its subsidiaries; and advertisements from newspapers and magazines.
Photographic materials include prints, slides, contact sheets, and negatives, primarily depicting the textile plants of Burlington Industries, Inc., especially the exteriors of many of the plants, including many aerial shots; textile industry machinery; employees, primarily in their work environments; and various company and textile industry events, including shareholders meetings, trade fairs, and the Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament. There is one photograph album of pictures of plants, taken in 1937. Photographs were taken by professional and amateur photographers using both color and black-and-white film.
Audiovisual materials include audio, film, and video. Audio and film materials chiefly document commercials for Burlington Industries products, such as apparel, carpets, and furniture; annual reports, often with a speech from the current CEO/president of the company and interviews with various employees; human resources and public relations topics, chiefly concerning the company image, such as in 50th anniversary materials, and employee training and education; and research and development of new products. Videos likewise document human resources and public relations work, especially promotion, training, and other videotapes that informed staff and clients about new products; commercials created for Burlington Industries; and news broadcasts that feature stories about Burlington Industries, technology in the textile industry, trade protectionism, shareholder meetings, and job openings.
There are also corporate history materials, including legal documents, stock information, and minutes of board of directors meetings and the executive, finance, audit, and salaries subcommittees; speeches given by Charles F. Myers Jr., executive vice president and treasurer of Burlington Industries, Inc. at industry and business and civic community events; miscellaneous accounting and operations ledgers for Burlington Mills Corporation, Gastonia Cotton Manufacturing Company, Dover Books, and an unidentified mill (or mills) that operated between 1844 and 1877; samples of wool and cotton at various stages in the manufacturing process; and production analytics, 1949-1951, with fabric samples and laborer and machine production measurements.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. James Spencer Love, 1927-1962.
Business papers, speeches, and biographical material of J. Spencer Love, founder and chair of the board of Burlington Industries, Inc.
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Subseries 1.1. Business Papers, 1927-1962.
Arrangement: chronological.
Business papers of J. Spencer Love, founder and chair of the board of Burlington Industries, Inc. The original file names and order of the business papers have been maintained. Files are arranged chronologically from 1927 until 1941. Beginning in 1942, yearly files are separated into Organization, Subject, and Outside subsections. All three subsections are not necessarily represented in every year. The Organization subsection includes materials primarily related to Burlington Industries personnel and its sub-companies. Interoffice correspondence documents a business culture that emphasized ongoing evaluation and assessment of company decisions, exploration of new management ideas and business innovations, and development of successful managers and executives. Files for long-time employees Britt Armfield, William Klopman, Herman D. Ruhm, and Robert L. Huffines, and others are found in this subsection. The Outside subsection includes materials related to people, companies, and organizations that were not part of Burlington Industries but interacted with the company or J. Spencer Love. The Subject subsection contains Burlington Industries materials that do not fall into the other two categories, such as studies of textiles, board of directors materials, compensation information, stocks, and company reorganization. This subsection also includes Love's correspondence with politicians and other public figures, including Frank Porter Graham, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson, and Harry S. Truman, among others. There is significant overlap of content among the subsections due to former employees of Burlington Industries establishing their own companies, some of which were eventually bought out and incorporated into Burlington. Likewise, Love's opinions of various people and subjects, including politicians; other textile magnates; organized labor, including Boyd Payton; and international relations, particularly with Cuba, are found across the three subsections and throughout the series.
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Subseries 1.2. Speeches, 1943-1962.
Arrangement: chronological.
| Folder 1159-1160 |
Speeches, 1943-1955 #04995, Subseries: "1.2. Speeches, 1943-1962." Folder 1159-1160Folder 1159Folder 1160 |
| Folder 1161-1162 |
Speeches, 1956-1962 #04995, Subseries: "1.2. Speeches, 1943-1962." Folder 1161-1162Folder 1161Folder 1162 |
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Subseries 1.3. Biographical Materials, 1949-1994.
Biographical materials about J. Spencer Love, including articles and background for a book-length biography, photographs, funeral clippings and a memorial booklet, and materials for a scrapbook. There is some material, including a scrapbook, relating to the J. Spencer Love Clinics for outpatient care at the North Carolina Memorial Hospital and biographical information about J. Spencer Love's father, James Lee Love, and grandfather, Robert Calvin Grier Love.
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Series 2. Public Relations Materials, 1923-2001.
Public relations materials created for internal and external audiences of Burlington Industries include sales and earnings reports; news releases; annual and quarterly reports; historical subject files documenting the history of Burlington Industries and its subsidiaries; contemporary subject files, which document human resources and employee relations, the charitable and philanthropic initiatives of Burlington Industries, and the company's 50th anniversary observance; publications for trade and employee audiences, including Bur-Mil Review, Burlington Review, and Burlington Look ; scrapbooks and related files with news about J. Spencer Love, Burlington Industries, and its subsidiaries; advertisements from newspapers and magazines, both loose and in scrapbooks. There are scattered photographs throughout the series, chiefly of J. Spencer Love.
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Subseries 2.1. News Releases, 1955-1997.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.2. Annual and Quarterly Reports, 1924-1996.
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Subseries 2.3. Historical Subject Files, 1923-1986.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Historical subject files seem to have been collected in preparation for the 50th anniversary of Burlington Industries, though there are materials that relate to the history of the company after 1974 as well. Included are materials documenting the Bur-Mil social club; the board of directors; company officers, operations, and organization; sales and earnings and stocks and dividends; anniversary celebrations, especially the 50th; early products, plants, and machinery; and employee training, benefits materials, and policies produced by human resources. There are a number of subject files that are comprised of newspaper clippings rather than documents created by Burlington Industries. These subjects include the earthquake of 1924, labor problems in 1934, and the adjustment to the 40-hour work week, among others.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
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Subseries 2.4. Contemporary Subject Files, 1980s-1990s.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Contemporary subject files consist of publications for employees, including company handbooks and health and safety newsletters and pamphlets; human resources recruiting guides and personnel manual; materials relating to the charitable and philanthropic initiatives of Burlington Industries, including the Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament; and materials relating to the 50th anniversary observance.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
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Subseries 2.5. Publications, 1940-2001.
Arrangement: chronological
Internal reports and publications created for executives and plant employees of Burlington Industries. Some reports were "restricted to key men of Burlington Mills."
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Subseries 2.6. Scrapbook Materials, 1930s-1987 (bulk
1967-1987).
Scrapbooks and related files with newspaper clippings about Burlington Industries and its subsidiaries. There is also a scrapbook of J. Spencer Love materials compiled after his death in 1962.
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Subseries 2.7. Advertisements, 1940s-1980s.
| Digital Video Disc DVD-4995/1 |
Miscellaneous advertisements: 8x Media Form, 29 October 2004 #04995, Subseries: "2.7. Advertisements, 1940s-1980s." DVD-4995/1 |
| Folder 1525-1535 |
Advertisements, 1940s-1980s #04995, Subseries: "2.7. Advertisements, 1940s-1980s." Folder 1525-1535Folder 1525Folder 1526Folder 1527Folder 1528Folder 1529Folder 1530Folder 1531Folder 1532Folder 1533Folder 1534Folder 1535 |
| Oversize Volume SV-4995/3 |
Advertisements, 1949-1950 #04995, Subseries: "2.7. Advertisements, 1940s-1980s." SV-4995/3 |
| Oversize Volume SV-4995/4 |
Advertisements, 1950s #04995, Subseries: "2.7. Advertisements, 1940s-1980s." SV-4995/4 |
| Oversize Volume SV-4995/5 |
Advertisements, 1954-1957 #04995, Subseries: "2.7. Advertisements, 1940s-1980s." SV-4995/5 |
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Series 3. Board of Directors and Other Corporate History Materials, 1924-1992.
Minutes of board of directors meetings, including the executive, finance, audit, and salaries subcommittees; legal documents; and stock information.
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Series 4. Photographic Materials, 1937,
1950s-1990s (bulk 1950s-1980s).
Arrangement: by format (prints, slides, negative contact sheets, negatives).
Photographic prints, slides, contact sheets, and negatives, primarily depicting the textile plants of Burlington Industries, especially the exteriors of many of the plants, including many aerial shots; textile industry machinery and the manufacturing process; employees, primarily in their work environments; management and employee relations; textile products and product promotion; and various company and textile industry events, including shareholders meetings, trade fairs, and the Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament. There is one photograph album of pictures of plants, taken in 1937. Photographs were taken by professional and amateur photographers using both color and black-and-white film.
An index created by Burlington Industries provides subject and name access to some of the photographic materials, 1970-1986 (bulk 1980-1986). Paper and electronic versions are filed as SV-4995/29 in series 4.1. Photographic Prints. Note that this archival collection does not include all materials listed in the index.
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Subseries 4.1. Prints, 1937, 1950s-1980s.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Photographic prints primarily depict the textile plants of Burlington Industries, especially the exteriors of many of the plants, including many aerial shots; textile industry machinery and the manufacturing process; employees, primarily in their work environments; management and employee relations; textile products and product promotion; and various company and textile industry events, including shareholders meetings, trade fairs, and the Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament. There is one photograph album of pictures of plants, taken in 1937. Photographs were taken by professional and amateur photographers using both color and black-and-white film. Some files also include contact sheets.
Original file names and order have been maintained; as such, plants are filed by name and/or location.
An index created by Burlington Industries provides subject and name access to some of the photographic materials, 1970-1986 (bulk 1980-1986). Paper and electronic versions are filed as SV-4995/29 in series 4.1. Photographic Prints. Note that this archival collection does not include all materials listed in the index.