Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills Records, 1885-1999
Title:
Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mills Records, 1885-1999
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.
ArchivalResource:
13,000; 22.0
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