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Collection Number: 04961

Collection Title: Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills Records, 1885-1999

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 Duplication Policy section for more information.


expand/collapse Expand/collapse Collection Overview

Size 22.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 13,000 items)
Abstract Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, founded by brothers John Cooper and David Cooper, in Henderson, N.C., was a single company composed of two separate mill complexes. Henderson Cotton Mills, established 1895, produced textiles. Harriet Cotton Mills, established 1901, produced coarse yarns. The consolidated mills operated since 1995 as Harriet & Henderson Yarns. Workers in the mills organized under the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) in 1943, starting with Harriet (Local 578) and followed several months later by Henderson (Local 584). Unionized workers began a strike against the consolidated mills in 1958. In 1961, the strike ended and both TWUA locals were dissolved. In 2003, Harriet & Henderson Yarns filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors amidst several other textile factory closings across the state. Records, 1885-1999 and undated, relate to Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, Henderson, N.C. They include material about labor relations and labor unions, oral histories, pictures, general business records, financial and legal material, printed material and clippings, and other items. Labor relations materials include arbitration case files, files pertaining to grievances, proposals submitted by the company for union approval, and union-company meeting minutes. Materials related to the 1958-1961 strike include general mill records and items with data on employees. Legal materials related to labor relations include court documents and records of contract negotiations. Printed materials include booklets, pamphlets, and clippings related to the 1958-1961 strike. Taped oral histories, 1984-1991 and undated, conducted by Daniel J. Clark, document relations between the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) Locals 578 (Harriet Mill) and 584 (Henderson Mill), and officials at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, and complement the labor relations materials, providing personal recollections of working conditions, life in the mill villages, and the 1958 strike. Pictures include images of individuals, groups, buildings, and objects related to Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills. Business records consist of administrative material, 1898-1998, and items relating to the company or its presidents. Included are business diaries, 1917-1966 (bulk 1960s), kept by company presidents, all members of the Cooper family. There are also employee handbooks; bylaws and rules; labor union agreements, 1942-1990; surveys and proposals, 1936-1948, generated when the mills were preparing to modernize operations and equipment; and data related to worker productivity. Financial and legal materials, 1897-1998, include accounting information, loan information, invoices, and requisitions. Also included are booklets, articles, and brochures related to the company or the textile industry in general and a 1997 videotape with factory footage.
Creator Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills.
Curatorial Unit Southern Historical Collection
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Use of audio materials may require production of listening copies.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills Records #4961, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Daniel J. Clark of Ann Arbor, Mich., in December 1998 (Acc. 98252) and April 1999 (Acc. 98339). Addition received in April 2005 (Acc. 100043).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Julie Ann Ludwig, September 1999, and Nathalie Wheaton, August 2005

Encoded by: Julie Ann Ludwig, September 1999, and Nathalie Wheaton, September 2005

The Addition of April 2005 (Acc. 100043) is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials. Researchers should always check additions to be sure they have identified all files of interest to them.

Finding aid updated in September 2005 by Nathalie Wheaton because of addition.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 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.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Historical Information

Brothers John Cooper and David Cooper broke ground for the Henderson Cotton Mill in 1895 and began producing cloth there in 1896. The Coopers opened a companion mill, named Harriet Cotton Mill after their mother, which began producing coarse yarns in July 1901. By 1913, two additional mill buildings had been added to the Harriet grounds, called Harriet #2 and Harriet #3. Equipment at both mills received a massive overhaul in 1939 in hopes of countering the poor economic conditions of the time. The speed of the new equipment and increased demands from supervisors began to generate new tensions between mill workers and management. It is unclear when workers at Harriet & Henderson Mills began organizing. Recollections of mill workers indicate that they had begun making the effort to unionize well before Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) representatives arrived in the Harriet Mill village in November 1942. Harriet workers organized first by forming TWUA Local 578 on 23 March 1943. Henderson followed soon thereafter, forming TWUA Local 584 on 28 June 1943. Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills and the TWUA clashed on several occasions, including a five-week strike in 1951, a seven-week strike in 1954, and a one-day wildcat strike in August 1958. Three months later, a long-term strike broke out, which lasted from mid-November 1958 until it was officially terminated in May 1961, at which time both TWUA locals were dissolved. More than 90% of the mill employees involved in the strike never worked for Harriet & Henderson again. Beginning in 1995, Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, the consolidated company, operated as Harriet & Henderson Yarns, until it filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and was forced to close its doors.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Records, 1885-1999 and undated, relate to Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, Henderson, N.C. The records include material about labor relations and labor unions, oral histories, pictures, general business records, financial and legal material, printed material and clippings, and other items. Labor relations materials include arbitration case files, files pertaining to grievances, proposals submitted by the company for union approval, and union-company meeting minutes. Material related to the 1958-1961 strike includes general mill records and items with data on employees. Legal materials related to labor relations include court documents and records of contract negotiations. Printed materials include booklets, pamphlets, and clippings related to the 1958-1961 strike. These documents provide insight into union activities at a southern textile mill, including the nature and frequency of grievances, as well as processes used in the settlement of those grievances. Also documented are the company's efforts to alter pay rates, workloads, and job descriptions, especially as a result of upgraded mill equipment. Taped oral histories, 1984-1991 and undated, conducted by Daniel J. Clark, document relations between the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) Locals 578 (Harriet Mill) and 584 (Henderson Mill), and officials at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, and complement the labor relations materials, providing personal recollections of working conditions, life in the mill villages, and the 1958 strike. Pictures include images of individuals, groups, buildings, and objects related to Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills.

Business records consist of administrative material, 1898-1998, and items relating to the company or its presidents. Included are business diaries, 1917-1966 (bulk 1960s), kept by company presidents, all members of the Cooper family. There are also employee handbooks, bylaws and rules, and written agreements between Harriet & Henderson and its labor unions, 1942-1990. Also included are surveys and proposals, 1936-1948, generated when the mills were preparing to modernize operations and equipment; there are also documents recording data related to worker productivity. Financial and legal material, 1897-1998, includes accounting information, loan information, invoices, and requisitions. There are also booklets, articles, and brochures related to the company or the textile industry in general and a 1997 videotape with factory footage.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Labor Relations, 1943-1959 and undated.

About 2100 items.

Processing Note: See also Addition of April 2005.

Arrangement: by file type.

Files, 1943-1959 and undated, of both settled and arbitrated grievances filed by members of the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) against Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, Henderson, N.C.; minutes of joint meetings between TWUA and Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills; and notices of proposed changes in mill operations from administrators at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills to officials at TWUA.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.1. Summary Lists of Arbitrated Cases, 1943-1958.

2 items.

Arrangement: by mill.

Summary lists of arbitrated grievances, 1943-1958, brought against Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills by members of the Textile Workers Union of America. Separate summary sheets were compiled for each mill. These sheets list the date of arbitration, arbitration number, case number, arbitrator, department, grievance numbers involved, job classifications involved, nature of the case arbitrated, and disposition of the case. The authorship of these lists is uncertain.

Folder 1

See OP-4961/1

Oversize Paper OP-4961/1

Harriet Cotton Mills

Folder 2

See OP-4961/2

Oversize Paper OP-4961/2

Henderson Cotton Mills

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.2. Arbitration Files, 1943-1958.

About 500 items.

Arrangement: by arbitration number.

Files, 1943-1958, including correspondence, transcripts, and recorded testimony related to grievances brought by the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) before arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association against Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills. These files contain lists of union demands; correspondence among arbitrators, mill administrators, TWUA officials, and members of the American Arbitration Association; case notes prepared by Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills; evidence and exhibits used by the mills during arbitration; and opinions handed down by arbitrators. Additional items include typed transcripts of testimony that took place during arbitration and scattered stenographer's notes (Arb. #10, #11, #12, #14) or sound recordings (Arb. #20, #22, #23, #24), on which transcripts were based. Sound recordings, labeled D-4961/1-45, are filed separately. Arbitration files are numbered continuously and incorporate both mills. folders labeled "Twister Award" pertain to a case arbitrated for the twisting department at Harriet Cotton Mills, to which no arbitration number was assigned. Additional information concerning arbitrated cases can be found in Subseries 1.1, Subseries 1.3, and Subseries 1.4.

Folder 3

Arbitration Case No. 1

Folder 4

Arbitration Case No. 2

Folder 5-7

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Arbitration Case No. 3

Folder 8-10

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Arbitration Case No. 4

Folder 11-12

Folder 11

Folder 12

Arbitration Case No. 5

Folder 13-14

Folder 13

Folder 14

Arbitration Case No. 6

Folder 15-17

Folder 15

Folder 16

Folder 17

Arbitration Case No. 7

Folder 18-19

Folder 18

Folder 19

Arbitration Case No. 8

Folder 20-21

Folder 20

Folder 21

Arbitration Case No. 9

Folder 22

Arbitration Case No. 10

Folder 23-25

Folder 23

Folder 24

Folder 25

Arbitration Case No. 11

Folder 26-28

Folder 26

Folder 27

Folder 28

Arbitration Case No. 12

Folder 29-34

Folder 29

Folder 30

Folder 31

Folder 32

Folder 33

Folder 34

Arbitration Case No. 13

Folder 35-38

Folder 35

Folder 36

Folder 37

Folder 38

Arbitration Case No. 14

Folder 39

Arbitration Case No. 15

Folder 40

Arbitration Case No. 16

Folder 41-42

Folder 41

Folder 42

Arbitration Case No. 17

Folder 43

Arbitration Case No. 18

Folder 44

Arbitration Case No. 19

Folder 45-47

Folder 45

Folder 46

Folder 47

Arbitration Case No. 20 (D-4961/1-13)

Audiodisc D-4961/1-13

D-4961/1

D-4961/2

D-4961/3

D-4961/4

D-4961/5

D-4961/6

D-4961/7

D-4961/8

D-4961/9

D-4961/10

D-4961/11

D-4961/12

D-4961/13

Arbitration Case No. 20

Folder 48

Arbitration Case No. 21

Folder 49

Arbitration Case No. 22 (D-4961/14-18)

Audiodisc D-4961/14-18

D-4961/14

D-4961/15

D-4961/16

D-4961/17

D-4961/18

Arbitration Case No. 22

Folder 50-51

Folder 50

Folder 51

Arbitration Case No. 23 (D-4961/19-24)

Audiodisc D-4961/19-24

D-4961/19

D-4961/20

D-4961/21

D-4961/22

D-4961/23

D-4961/24

Arbitration Case No. 23

Folder 52-54

Folder 52

Folder 53

Folder 54

Arbitration Case No. 24 (D-4961/25-45)

Audiodisc D-4961/25-45

D-4961/25

D-4961/26

D-4961/27

D-4961/28

D-4961/29

D-4961/30

D-4961/31

D-4961/32

D-4961/33

D-4961/34

D-4961/35

D-4961/36

D-4961/37

D-4961/38

D-4961/39

D-4961/40

D-4961/41

D-4961/42

D-4961/43

D-4961/44

D-4961/45

Arbitration Case No. 24

Folder 55-56

Folder 55

Folder 56

Arbitration Case No. 25

Folder 57-58

Folder 57

Folder 58

Arbitration Case No. 26

Folder 59

Arbitration Case No. 27

Folder 60

Arbitration Case No. 29

Folder 61

Arbitration Case No. 31

Folder 62

Arbitration Case No. 32

Folder 63

Arbitration Case No. 33

Folder 64

Arbitration Case No. 34

Folder 65-66

Folder 65

Folder 66

Arbitration Case No. 35

Folder 67

Arbitration Case No. 36

Folder 68-69

Twister Award, Harriet #2

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.3. Master Lists of Grievances, 1943-1958.

2 items.

Arrangement: by mill.

Lists of settled grievances, 1943-1958, brought against Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills by members of the Textile Workers Union of America. Separate lists have been compiled for each mill. These sheets provide the date of the grievance, grievance number, department involved, nature of the grievance, and disposition of the case.

Folder 70

See OP-4961/3

Oversize Paper OP-4961/3

Harriet Cotton Mills

Folder 71

See OP-4961/4

Oversize Paper OP-4961/4

Henderson Cotton Mills

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.4. Grievances Settled, 1943-1958..

About 600 items.

Arrangement: by mill and grievance number.

Records, 1943-1958, of grievances filed by members of the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) against Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills. These grievances were settled without outside arbitration. Each grievance file typically contains some combination of the following: handwritten or typed grievance form submitted to the union, typed copy of the same form prepared by the mill, the superintendent or general manager's decision, transcripts of testimony concerning the grievance, and notes prepared by the mill for use in deciding each case. Harriet Cotton Mills and Henderson Cotton Mills each use a separate numerical sequence for filed grievances, and Harriet Cotton Mills appear to have begun labeling grievances by letter before converting to a numerical system. In neither case, however, is the numerical run complete. Grievances sent to arbitration were often removed from these files by the mill and can be found in Subseries 1.1. Consult the master lists of grievances in Subseries 1.4 and arbitration summaries in Subseries 1.2 for clarification in these instances.

Filed with the grievances is a folder containing similar materials related to a one-day wildcat strike at Harriet Cotton Mills on 11 August 1958.

Folder 72

Harriet A-U

Folder 73

Harriet 1-110

Folder 74

Harriet 112-139

Folder 75

Harriet 140-154

Folder 76

Harriet 155-173

Folder 77

Harriet 174-192

Folder 78

Harriet 193-217

Folder 79

Harriet 218-241

Folder 80

Harriet 242-261

Folder 81

Harriet 262-279

Folder 82

Harriet 281-303

Folder 83

Harriet 304-325

Folder 84

Harriet 329-345

Folder 85

Harriet 347-360

Folder 86

Wildcat strike at Harriet #1

Folder 87

Henderson 1-17

Folder 88

Henderson 18-38

Folder 89

Henderson 39-55

Folder 90

Henderson 56-86

Folder 91

Henderson 89-110

Folder 92

Henderson 111-149

Folder 93

Henderson 150-180

Folder 94

Henderson 182-190

Folder 95

Henderson 191

Folder 96

Henderson 192-198

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.5. Company Proposals, 1943-1958.

About 700 items.

Arrangement: chronological by mill.

Notices, 1943-1958, from Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills to the Textile Workers Union of America, informing the union of proposed changes in mill operations. These proposals chiefly concern wages, work assignments, and plant rules. Most proposals show whether they apply to the Harriet Cotton Mills or to the Henderson Cotton Mills.

Folder 97

Harriet proposals, 1948-1950

Folder 98

Harriet proposals, 1951-1954

Folder 99

Henderson proposals, 1950-1951

Folder 100

Henderson proposals, 1952-1953

Folder 101

Henderson proposals, 1954-1955

Folder 102

Henderson proposals, 1956-1957

Folder 103

Henderson proposals, 1958

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.6. Union-Company Meeting Minutes, 1948-1958.

About 300 items.

Arrangement: chronological by mill.

Stenographers' transcripts, 1948-1958, of meetings between representatives of Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills and the Textile Workers Union of America. A large number of the transcripts pertain to the settlement of specific grievances, although some also relate to company proposals and other topics. The subject of the meeting is often noted in the heading of the transcript. Separate chronological runs for the Harriet Cotton Mills and the Henderson Cotton Mills have been maintained.

Folder 104

Harriet, 1948-1950

Folder 105

Harriet, 1951-1952

Folder 106

Harriet, 1953

Folder 107

Harriet, 1954 January-July

Folder 108

Harriet, 1954 August-November

Folder 109

Harriet, 1955

Folder 110

Harriet, 1956

Folder 111

Harriet, 1957

Folder 112

Harriet, 1958

Folder 113

Henderson, 1948-1949

Folder 114

Henderson, 1950

Folder 115

Henderson, 1951-1954

Folder 116

Henderson, 1955-1957

Folder 117

Henderson, 1958

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.7. Other Mill Records related to Labor Relations, 1945-1959, undated.

About 100 items.

Processing Note: See also Addition of April 2005

Arrangement: chronological.

Miscellaneous files, 1945-1959 and undated, of Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, including a directive from the National War Labor Board concerning wages, union contracts and contract provisions between the mills and the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA), notices to the TWUA of work-load and pay changes, plant rules, weekly cost reports, changes approved by members of the general shop committee, and undated summary sheets comparing the staffing of the mill over three shifts.

Folder 118

Changes approved by members of the General Shop Committee

Folder 119

National War Labor Board directive order regarding wages

Folder 120

Contracts and contract provisions

Folder 121

Notice of work-load changes

Folder 122

Plant rules

Folder 123

Notices of make-up money

Folder 124

Weekly cost reports

Folder 125

See OP-4961/5

Oversize Paper OP-4961/5

Staffing summary sheets

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1A. Labor Relations, 1943-1962 (Addition of April 2005).

About 550 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Processing note: The Addition of April 2005 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.

Material concerning relations between Harriet & Henderson and its labor force, especially during the 1958-1961 strike. General mill records and miscellaneous items include data on employees, letters, and memos. Legal material includes court documents and contract negotiations. Printed material includes booklets and pamphlets and clippings related to the 1958-1961 strike.

Researchers interested in the 1958-1961 strike or labor relations should also see Series 4.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.7A. Other Mill Records Related to Labor Relations, 1943-1960.

About 400 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Other mill records related to labor relations include material about the 1958-1961 strike at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, including data on employees; a paper about the strike written by a graduate student who corresponded with President J. D. Cooper Jr.; and other items related to the strike, among them letters, memos, and a transcript of a radio broadcast by Mayor Carol Singleton, 27 May 1959.

Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.

Folder 153

Company proposals for union for Harriet Mills, 1949-1956

Folder 154

Harriet 1 and 2 Mills: Alphabetical list of employees that signed grievances, 1943-1958

Folder 155

Harriet Mills: Data on striking employees that applied for work and are not shown on NLRB list labeled "Attachment", 1959

Folder 156

Harriet Mills: Data requested by NLRB on job replacements, 1959

Folder 157

Harriet Mills: All information that is due to union since 16 February 1959

Folder 158

Harriet Mills 1 and 2: Miscellaneous data concerning strikers and replacements

Folder 159

Harriet & Henderson production record, 16 February 1959-1 January 1960

Folder 160

Material related to graduate student Arthur M. Bagley's paper "The Textile Strike at Henderson, N.C.", 24 July 1959

Folder 161

Strike related: payroll losses, changes with union agreements etc., 1958

Folder 162

J. D. Cooper Jr.'s statements and memos concerning strike and other material

Folder 163

Radio transcripts, letters, and records related to strike, 1959

Folder 164

Letters, statements, list of strike-related violence, and other material, 1959

Folder 165

Letters, articles, other material related to strike, 1959-1960

Folder 166

Telegrams, poem, phone transcript, and other material, 1959

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.8A. Other Legal Material Related to Labor Relations, 1958-1959.

About 50 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Legal material related to the 1958-1961 strike at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, including court documents and contract negotiations.

Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.

Folder 167

Contract: Last proposal corrected, 1959

Folder 168

Related to arbitration, 21 March 1959

Folder 169

Dismissing case, 28 September 1959

Folder 170

Court documents, restraining orders on strikers, 1959

Folder 171-174

Folder 171

Folder 172

Folder 173

Folder 174

Contract negotiations and related to court material, 1958-1959

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 1.9A. Printed Material and Clippings Related to Strike, 1955-1962.

About 100 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Printed materials including booklets and pamphlets and clippings related to the 1958-1961 strike at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills.

Folder 175

Booklet, 1955, and pamphlet, 1959, related to strikes and Henderson Cotton Mill

Folder 176

Series of articles in America's Textile Reporter about strike, 1959-1960

Folder 177

Printed material related to strike, 1957-1962

Folder 178-189

Folder 178

Folder 179

Folder 180

Folder 181

Folder 182

Folder 183

Folder 184

Folder 185

Folder 186

Folder 187

Folder 188

Folder 189

Clippings related to 1958-1961 strike

Oversize Paper OP-4961/6

Oversized clippings related to 1958-1961 strike

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 2. Oral Histories, 1984-1991.

53 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by interviewee.

Taped oral history interviews conducted with employees of the Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills by Daniel J. Clark between 1984 and 1991. These interviews typically discuss working conditions, home and family life in the mill villages, social activities, and unionization. About two-thirds of the taped interviews are accompanied by typed transcripts, presumably prepared by Clark.

Folder 126

Abbott, Mary

Audiocassette C-4961/1

Abbott, Mary

Missing as of September 2021

Folder 127

Adams, Edith

Audiocassette C-4961/2

Adams, Edith

Missing as of September 2021

Folder 128

Blue, Earline Collins and Clayborne

Audiocassette C-4961/3

Blue, Earline Collins and Clayborne

Folder 129

Braswell, Joseph

Audiocassette C-4961/4-5

C-4961/4

C-4961/5

Braswell, Joseph (C-4961/5, no transcript)

Folder 130

Camp, William

Audiocassette C-4961/6

Camp, William

Folder 131

Carter, Clifton E., Jr.

Audiocassette C-4961/7

Carter, Clifton E., Jr. (no transcript)

Folder 132

Collins, Lucy

Audiocassette C-4961/8

Collins, Lucy

Folder 133

Cooper, Marshall Y.

Audiocassette C-4961/9-10

C-4961/9

C-4961/10

Cooper, Marshall Y., 23 April 1986 (no transcript)

Audiocassette C-4961/11

Cooper, Marshall Y., 24 July 1986 (no transcript)

Folder 134

Crocker, Grover and Evelyn

Audiocassette C-4961/12

Crocker, Grover and Evelyn (no transcript)

Folder 135

Ellis, James A. and Lila Mae

Audiocassette C-4961/13

Ellis, James A. and Lila Mae

Folder 136

Faulkner, Roy

Audiocassette C-4961/14

Faulkner, Roy

Folder 137

Forsythe, Eleanor

Audiocassette C-4961/15

Forsythe, Eleanor

Folder 138

Fry, Julius

Audiocassette C-4961/16-17

C-4961/16

C-4961/17

Fry, Julius (2 tapes)

Folder 139

Harris, Harvey

Audiocassette C-4961/18

Harris, Harvey

Folder 140

Harris, Ralph and Emma

Audiocassette T-4961/19

Harris, Ralph and Emma

Folder 141

Jackson, Luther

Audiocassette C-4961/20-21

C-4961/20

C-4961/21

Jackson, Luther (2 tapes)

Folder 142

Johnson, Esther and James

Audiocassette C-4961/22

Johnson, Esther and James (no transcript)

Folder 143

Jones, Rachel

Audiocassette C-4961/23

Jones, Rachel

Folder 144

Johnson, Woodrow

Audiocassette C-4961/24

Johnson, Woodrow

Folder 145

Littleton, Sam

Audiocassette C-4961/25

Littleton, Sam

Folder 146

Newton, Johnnie

Audiocassette C-4961/26

Newton, Johnnie [E.?] (no transcript)

Folder 147

Nipper, George

Audiocassette C-4961/27

Nipper, George

Folder 148

Renn, Edith

Audiocassette C-4961/28

Renn, Edith

Folder 149

Renn, Melvin

Audiocassette C-4961/29

Renn, Melvin (no transcript)

Folder 150

Roberson, Esther

Audiocassette C-4961/30

Roberson, Esther

Folder 151

Webster, W. D., Sr.

Audiocassette C-4961/31

Webster, W. D., Sr. (no transcript)

Folder 152

Wilkins, Lloyd

Audiocassette C-4961/32

Wilkins, Lloyd

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Pictures, undated.

1 item.

Processing Note: See also Addition of April 2005.

Photograph, undated, of unidentified individuals probably associated with the 1958-1961 strike of the Textile Workers Union of America at Harriet & Henderson Mills. This photograph may relate to Daniel J. Clark's oral histories with mill workers, 1984-1991.

Image Folder PF-4961/1

Strikers, undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3A. Pictures, 1944-1997 and undated (Addition of April 2005).

About 70 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Processing note: The Addition of April 2005 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.

Pictures include images of individuals, groups, buildings, and objects related to Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills. Pictures of individuals include past presidents of Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, including J. D. Cooper Jr., M . Y. Cooper Sr., and M. Y. Cooper Jr., and unidentified individuals. Group photographs include an undated photographs possibly from the early 1900s of what appears to be employees of the mills and groups from the 1960s and 1980s. Photographs from a "womanless wedding" fundraiser in 1997 are also included, featuring several Harriet & Henderson male employees dressed as women (see also Folder 254 in Series 5). There are also photographs that were used in articles, including a picture of strikers during the 1958-1961 strike and pictures used in an article about Harriet & Henderson's cutting-edge use of computers in 1968. Pictures of building exteriors and aerial photographs of factory grounds, as well as photographs of items such as a desk used by the second president of Harriet & Henderson, S. P. Cooper; cotton bales; and one of the toy cats designed after Harriet & Henderson's Three Cats logo, are also included in this series.

Image Folder PF-4961/2

J. D. Cooper Jr., 1959

Image Folder PF-4961/3

M. Y. Cooper, 1964-1970s

Image Folder PF-4961/4

M. Y. Cooper Jr., 1980s

Image Folder PF-4961/5

Unidentified individual, corporate portrait

Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-4961/1

Unidentified individual, corporate portrait

Image Folder P-4961/6

Unidentified individuals

Image Folder P-4961/7

Unidentified individuals, 1980s?

Image Folder PF-4961/8

Groups: identified individuals, 1960s?

Image Folder PF-4961/9

Unidentified group, early 1900s

Image Folder PF-4961/10

Unidentified groups, 1960s-1980s

Image Folder PF-4961/11

Womanless wedding fundraiser, 1997

Image Folder PF-4961/12

Strikers, from American Textile Record articles, 1959-1960

Image Folder PF-4961/13

Photographs from article: "At Harriet & Henderson Computer Reports Implement 'Do it Now' Philosophy", Modern Knitting Management, February 1968

Image Folder PF-4961/14

Harriet & Henderson Yarns, building exterior, 1980s?

Image Folder PF-4961/15

Building exterior and aerial view

Image Folder PF-4961/16

Unidentified building exterior

Image Folder PF-4961/17

Desk of S. P. Cooper and later Leland Howland until 1964

Image Folder PF-4961/18

Cotton bales piled in Harriet Mill yard from 1 December 1944 to 1 April 1945

Image Folder PF-4961/19

Stuffed cat from Harriet & Henderson Yarns logo

Image Folder PF-4961/20

Harriet & Henderson Yarns, Three Cats logo

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4A. Business Records, 1898-1998 (Addition of April 2005).

About 1,000 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Arrangement: mostly chronological.

Business records consist of material related to the administration of Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills, 1898-1998, and miscellaneous material related to the company or its presidents. Included are pocket-sized business diaries kept by the presidents of the company, 1917-1966, mostly from the 1960s. In the diaries, the presidents jotted down notes and addresses related to the company. Small booklets include employee handbooks, bylaws and rules, and written agreements between Harriet & Henderson and its labor unions, 1942-1990. A large part of this series is devoted to studies, data, and standards. In the 1930s, Harriet & Henderson's mills were preparing for the large undertaking of modernizing their operations and equipment. They hired J. E. Sirrine & Co., Engineers and Whitin Machine Works to conduct several surveys of all the mills' departments and submit proposals with suggestions for the improvement of the facilities. These surveys and proposals cover the years 1936 to 1948. The mills were also concerned with worker productivity and observed workers performing tasks in several departments, recording the data over time.

Also included are letters from Stanfield and letters of recommendation from several companies vouching for Efton A. Stanfield who was applying for the position of Harriet & Henderson's Director of Personnel and Industry Relations in the midst of the 1958-1961 strike. Notebooks, desk manuals, and procedure manuals provide administrative information from the 1960s to 1980s. Business workshop materials, Harriet & Henderson's application for a Baldrige Award for quality, and material from a "womanless wedding" fundraiser cover the period of the 1990s.

Miscellaneous material, 1898-1980, includes information about the history of the trademark; a letter C. J. Cooper wrote advocating white supremacy, 1900; and an article labor leader Boyd Payton wrote in 1962, after being released from prison where he had served a partial term for conspiracy to commit violence during the 1958-1961 strike.

Note that original file folder tities have, for the most part, been retained.

Folder 190-196

Folder 190

Folder 191

Folder 192

Folder 193

Folder 194

Folder 195

Folder 196

Business diaries, 1917-1966

Extra Oversize Image Folder XOP-PF-4961/2

Map of Harriet Cotton Mills, 1924

Folder 197-198

Folder 197

Folder 198

Agreements between Harriet & Henderson and TWUA, 1943-1955

Folder 199

Employee handbooks, bylaws, and rules, 1942-1986

Folder 200

Employee handbooks, labor agreements, 1983-1990

Folder 201-202

Folder 201

Folder 202

J. E. Sirrine & Co., Engineers: Reports on assessment of Harriet & Henderson mills for modernization, 1936-1948

Folder 203-209

Folder 203

Folder 204

Folder 205

Folder 206

Folder 207

Folder 208

Folder 209

Whitin surveys and proposals, 1936-1948

Folder 210-212

Folder 210

Folder 211

Folder 212

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1 Packing Department: Studies, summaries, and standards for packing yarn, August 1954"

Folder 213-215

Folder 213

Folder 214

Folder 215

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1 Packing Department: Studies and consolidated summaries of all operations," and "Time Study Observation Sheet," 1944

Folder 216

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1 Packing Department: Work data, job descriptions, and standard unit values" and "Time Study Standard Computation Sheet", 1944

Folder 217

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1: Winding and packing data on proposed changes in building, etc.," 1953-1954

Folder 218

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1: Spinning and winding estimated data on proposed installment of 2 3/4" rings," 1955

Folder 219

Studies, data, and standards: "Data on pay scale: Patterson Mills, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., 1956, and Borden Mill at Goldsboro, N.C., 1954"

Folder 220

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1 and 2: Data on estimated savings due to possible changes in mill and machinery, March 1954"

Folder 221

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 1 Packing Department: Standards for each packer completing own cases and cartons (not used)," 1944

Folder 222

Studies, data, and standards: "Rocky Mount Mill data", 1945

Folder 223

Studies, data, and standards: "Time study of spinning assignment at Harriet Cotton Mills, November 1943"

Folder 224

Studies, data, and standards: "Harriet No. 2 Winding Department: Work file, technical data, job assignments, and piece rates for fidelity reels, 1947"

Folder 225-226

Folder 225

Folder 226

Studies, data, and standards: "Expected times for yarn packers," 1955, and "Standard specifications for equipment," 1954-1957

Folder 227

Studies, data, and standards: "Labor cost budget and technical data", 1951-1954"", 1945

Folder 228-229

Folder 228

Folder 229

Studies, data, and standards: "Henderson Mill canceled job specifications, carding", 1942-1957

Folder 230

Studies, data, and standards: "Proposed changes in the process of the yarn and cloth divisions of Henderson Cotton Mills," undated

Folder 231

Insurance report for Harriet & Henderson, 1948

Folder 232

Insurance valuation of Harriet & Henderson buildings, 1952

Folder 233

Relating to Efton A. Stanfield with some strike and financial information, 1957-1964

Folder 234

Rations issued during strike, 1958 and 1959

Folder 235

Personnel selection manual, 1961

Folder 236

Material related to President Kennedy's Textile Aid Program, 1961

Extra Oversize Image Folder XOP-PF-4961/3

Plans of duct layouts for Harriet 1 and Harriet 2, 1964

Folder 237

President's notebook, including bid information and instructions, 1968-1975

Folder 238

Waste control manual, 1968-1976

Folder 239

Analysis of textured yarn market, 1970

Folder 240

Company policy and procedure manual, 1972-1974

Folder 241

Desk Manual, Executive Secretary/Vice-President-Manufacturing, 1982-1990

Folder 242

Policy and procedure guide, 1983-1984

Folder 243

"What is Meant by World Class Manufacturing?" presentation, 1990?

Folder 244-245

Folder 244

Folder 245

Material Safety Data for U.S. Department of Labor, 1990-1993

Folder 246

Baldrige Award information, 1991

Folder 247

Baldrige Award, self-assessment, 1991-1992

Folder 248

Baldride reports, 1992

Folder 249

Benefits, health and dental, 1992-1993

Folder 250

Robert Bass materials, 1992-1998

Folder 251

North Carolina Quality Leadership Foundation, conference material and booklets, 1993

Folder 252

Substance abuse policy, management training, 1994

Folder 253

Inventory, trucking, and production reports, 1996-1997

Folder 254

Womanless Wedding fundraiser scrapbook, 1997

Videotape VT-4961/1

Womanless Wedding fundraiser videotape, 1997

Folder 255

Desk manual, secretary, technical services, 1997-1998

Folder 256

"Protecting Your Company from Employment Liability and Staying Non-Union" workshop booklet, 8-10 December 1998

Folder 257

"New Employee Orientation Procedures," undated

Folder 258

Miscellaneous material related to Harriet & Henderson, 1898-1980 and undated: including history of trademark; C. J. Cooper white supremacy letter, 1900; article Payton wrote after prison, 1962

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5A. Financial and Legal Material, 1897-1998 (Addition of April 2005).

About 8,500 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Arrangement: chronological.

Financial and legal material, 1897-1998, includes accounting information, loan information, invoices, and requisitions. The older items include account books, time books, and information about accounts and stocks. Items from the 1950s include term loan agreements and contracts with banks, especially refering to Harriet & Henderson's attempt to help administer Highland Cotton Mills. Material from the 1990s includes invoices and requisitions, usually in chronological order, although some are alphabetical by company. The alphabetical invoices also include information about the companies with which Harriet & Henderson did business, including supply and service companies.

Note that original file folder tities have, for the most part, been retained.

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/7

Account information; stock, manufacturing, machinery, etc., 1897-1919

Folder 259

Account books: "Cotton Book #1", 1898, and "R. A. Bishop in Account with J. C. Cooper, Jr.", 1900-1902

Folder 260

Financial information including profits and losses and dividends, 1898-1932

Folder 261

Harriet & Henderson stock certificates, 1900-1939

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/8

Harriet & Henderson stock certificates, 1918-1938

Volume V-4961/S-1

Time book for night shift workers, 1919-1923

Folder 262

Time book, 1928-1929

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/9

Salaries by department, 1937-1938

Folder 263

Settlement of cash receipts and disbursements after dissolution of Cooper's Warehouse Company, 1939

Folder 264

Time book and payroll, 1941-1943

Folder 265

Yarn prices, 1942-1960

Box 26

Card file including name, date, item, cost, 1943-1944

Folder 266

Time book and payroll, 1943-1946

Folder 267

Shop and maintenance mechanic's time book, 1949-1955

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/10

"Report of Special Examination, Highland Cotton Mills, Inc., and Cloverdale Dye Works, Inc.", 1954

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/11

Debenture template

Folder 268

Loan agreement and correspondence with Wachovia bank and others, 1954-1955

Folder 269-270

Folder 269

Folder 270

Term loan agreement with Wachovia information and management contract correspondence with Highland Cotton Mills, 1955-1960

Folder 271-272

Folder 271

Folder 272

Loan agreements and correspondence: First and Merchants National Bank, 1954-1958

Folder 273

Loan agreements and insurance information, 1959-1960

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/12

Yarn prices, 1961-1966

Folder 274

Recommendations to reduce overhead, administrative, and various service departments cost, 1964

Folder 275

Harriet Cotton Mills: Financial notes and stock purchases, 1966

Folder 276

Henderson Cotton Mills: Financial notes and stock purchases, 1966

Folder 277

Registration information for Securities and Exchange Commission; stockholder meeting notes, 1966-1967

Folder 278

Copies of legal papers related to purchase of land, escrow agreement, 1967

Folder 279-280

Folder 279

Folder 280

Account with Sherman and Boddie, trucking company, 1994

Folder 281-283

Folder 281

Folder 282

Folder 283

Invoices: Machinery, 1992-1997

Folder 284-303

Folder 284

Folder 285

Folder 286

Folder 287

Folder 288

Folder 289

Folder 290

Folder 291

Folder 292

Folder 293

Folder 294

Folder 295

Folder 296

Folder 297

Folder 298

Folder 299

Folder 300

Folder 301

Folder 302

Folder 303

Invoices, 1996-1998

Folder 304-313

Folder 304

Folder 305

Folder 306

Folder 307

Folder 308

Folder 309

Folder 310

Folder 311

Folder 312

Folder 313

Purchase requisitions, 1995-1997

Folder 314-316

Folder 314

Folder 315

Folder 316

Blanket requisitions, 1996-1998

Folder 317-319

Folder 317

Folder 318

Folder 319

Packing lists, 1995-1997

Folder 320-329

Folder 320

Folder 321

Folder 322

Folder 323

Folder 324

Folder 325

Folder 326

Folder 327

Folder 328

Folder 329

Invoices, 1995-1999: A-D

Folder 330-339

Folder 330

Folder 331

Folder 332

Folder 333

Folder 334

Folder 335

Folder 336

Folder 337

Folder 338

Folder 339

Invoices, 1995-1999: E-O

Folder 340-345

Folder 340

Folder 341

Folder 342

Folder 343

Folder 344

Folder 345

Invoices, 1995-1999: O-W

Folder 346

Comparison price lists by part and by company, 1996

Folder 347

Repair and maintenance expenses, 1998

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 6A. Printed Material and Clippings, 1910-1998 (Addition of April 2005).

About 150 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Arrangement: mostly alphabetical

Printed material and clippings include booklets, articles, and brochures related to Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills. Booklets include instruction and factory equipment manuals. Also included are Harriet & Henderson's newspaper, Cat Tales, and their newsletter, Cat's Three. Miscellaneous clippings include clippings from 1910 to 1998 about the Berryton Mills, a 1927 strike at the cotton mills, and a 1943 advertisement for war bonds sponsored by Harriet & Henderson.

Folder 348

Booklets: Productivity, Supervision, and Employee Morale , 1948, and 101 Ways to Better Spinning and Better Carding , 1960

Folder 349

Brochure: "Harriet & Henderson Yarns Brings Your Knit Fabrics into the Jet-Ait Age", WindSpun Yarn, 1980s?

Folder 350

Magazines: Journal of Quality and Participation, 1993; Textiles: NCSU and the Industry, 1986

Folder 351

The Whitin Review magazine, 1954; and Cotton and Cotton Futures booklet, 1952

Folder 352

Clark's Directory of Southern Textile Mills, 1928

Folder 353

Custom Industries: "Replacement Parts of Autoconer Winders"

Folder 354

Booklets: DuPont Fibers technical information and "Man-Made Fiber Fact Book", 1969

Folder 355

Eastman Textiles Fibers: Kodel, processing information, 1964

Folder 356

Gunter and Cooke, Inc.: equipment announcements, 1982

Folder 357

Henderson Cording Yarn: Combed and Synthetic Division: Lubrication Chart, 1968

Folder 358

Platt Saco Lowell: Rovematic, 1975

Folder 359

Rieter Machine Works, Ltd.: Instructions, undated

Folder 360

Rieter: Equipment procedures

Folder 361

Roberts: Equipment manual for the Arrow, 1969

Folder 362

Roberts: Equipment manual for the Arrow, 1970

Folder 363

Saco-Lowell: Revolving Flat Cards, Coilers, Drawing Frames , 1925

Folder 364

SKF: equipment information, 1970s

Folder 365

Whitin equipment manuals, 1941, 1950

Folder 366

Whitin equipment manual, Comber, 1968

Folder 367

Whitin equipment manual, Roving, 1964

Folder 368

Whitin equipment manual, Roving, 1971

Folder 369

Whitin Machine Works, Component Parts of Band Drive Pinning Frames and Twisters , 1924

Folder 370-371

Folder 370

Folder 371

Zinser equipment manual, Zinser Drawing, 1980, and complaints

Folder 372-373

Folder 372

Folder 373

Zinser equipment manual, Zinser High Speed Draw Frame

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4961/13-16

OPF-4961/13

OPF-4961/14

OPF-4961/15

OPF-4961/16

Harriet & Henderson's newspaper, Cat Tales , 1984-1998

Folder 374

Harriet & Henderson's newsletter, Cat's Three , 1995, (100th anniversary issues)

Folder 375

Article: "At Harriet & Henderson Computer Reports Implement 'Do it Now' Philosophy", Modern Knitting Management, February 1968

Folder 376

Miscellaneous clippings, 1910-1998, related to Harriet & Henderson including Berryton Mills, 1927 strike, and 1943 advertisement for war bonds

Folder 377

Clippings related to trucking, 1993

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 7A. Other Material, 1885 and 1993 (Addition of April 2005).

5 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

Arrangement: chronological.

The relation of material in this series to the rest of the collection is unclear, although it seems to have belonged to employee Robert Bass (Folder 250). "To Robert" appears on one of the Miss Henderson programs. The papers refering to J. B. V. Tunstall, a Civil War veteran, are photocopies of forms refering to an injury sustained during the war and pension information, 1885.

Folder 378

J. B. V. Tunstall: Civil War veteran, 1885

Folder 379

Miss Henderson Pageant programs, 1993

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 8A. Audio and Video Material, 1995? and 1997 (Addition of April 2005).

2 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 100043

These audio and video materials are not related to the oral history recordings of Series 2. The microcassette includes a note, 100th Club, August 24, which might refer to the 100th anniversary that Harriet & Henderson celebrated in 1995. The videotape includes an unidentified man explaining factory equipment at the mills, but the sound is drowned out by the equipment. Also on the videotape is silent footage of the waste house pump.

Audiocassette C-4961/33

Microcassette with note, "100th Club, August 24"

Videotape VT-4961/2

Videotape labeled "Waste House Pump" and "Henderson, 27 March 1997".

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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