Rocky Mount Mills (Rocky Mount, N.C.)

Rocky Mount Mills, located in Rocky Mount, N.C., was one of the first cotton mills constructed in the state of North Carolina, dating back to 1816. From 1825 to 1883, the Battle family maintained ownership of the mill. As the southern cotton industry grew after the Civil War, the cotton mill experienced rapid growth. The company also supported a residential village for employees, which was eventually incorporated into the city of Rocky Mount in the 1920s. The mill was a major supplier of cotton yarn to the United States Army during World War II. The general decline in southern textile industry beginning in the 1970s eventually impacted Rocky Mount Mills, and the mill closed its doors in 1996.

Rocky Mount Mills was one of the first cotton mills constructed in the state of North Carolina. It was one of the few antebellum industrial complexes in the South devoted to the production of cotton, as most cotton during this time was exported in raw form to the North and to Britain. Its origins date back to 1816, when Joel Battle, Peter Evans, Henry Donaldson, and John Hogan began buying land around the falls of the Tar River, near present-day Rocky Mount, N.C. The original mill was constructed between 1816 and 1817 and was expanded in 1819. The mill was in full operation by 1820. By 1825, Joel Battle was the sole owner of the mill, the other founders having sold their stakes in the operation in the previous years. Ownership of the mill would remain in the Battle family until 1883.

Originally, Rocky Mount Mills consisted of a grist mill, a saw mill, and a cotton gin, in addition to the cotton mill. As the southern cotton industry grew after the Civil War, the cotton mill experienced rapid growth and the other operations were de-emphasized and eventually discontinued. Rocky Mount Mills was an early adopter of new technologies, installing electrical lights and automatic sprinklers in 1889, and installing one of the first steam turbines in North Carolina in 1911. The company also supported a residential village for employees, which was eventually incorporated into the city of Rocky Mount in the 1920s. The mill was a major supplier of cotton yarn to the United States Army during World War II. The general decline in southern textile industry beginning in the 1970s eventually impacted Rocky Mount Mills, and the mill closed its doors in 1996.