Concord Steam Cotton Factory (Concord, N.C.)

The Concord Steam Cotton Factory, also referred to as the Concord Manufacturing Company, was organized by Paul Barringer and others in Concord, N.C., in 1836. It produced cotton yarn, shirting, and nails. It was succeeded in 1879 by the Odell Manufacturing Company, which went out of business in 1907.

The Concord Steam Cotton Factory, also referred to as the Concord Manufacturing Company, was organized 16 February 1839 by a group of six entrepreneurs. General Paul Barringer served as the first president. Other notable founders included John T. Phifer, Daniel Moreau Barringer (1806-1873), and Robert Washington Allison (1809-1898). The business started with capital of $24,000 and 600 spindles shipped from Fishkill, N.Y. This was the first cotton mill on record in Cabarrus County, N.C.

William Jenks, a Pennsylvanian, was the mill's first mechanic, but was replaced by John McDonald, also from Pennsylvania, before operations actually began. By April 1842, the mill was in full operation, producing cotton yarn, shirting, and nails. A year later, the company paid its first dividend at three percent per share. In 1859, John McDonald took over the ownership and management of the mill. The factory remained in operation during the Civil War and supplied cloth for uniforms.

In 1879, John Milton Odell purchased the firm and, with financial backing from seven other stockholders, built the Odell Manufacturing Company on the same property. Odell was the president and major stockholder, and his son William was secretary- treasurer. The Odell Manufacturing Company operated until 1907, when, in the face of worsening economic conditions and declining profits, the firm went bankrupt. Most of the mill itself burned in August 1908.

Source: Gary Freeze, unpublished dissertation, UNC-CH, and information supplied by the Charles A. Cannon Memorial Library.