If you’ve lived here for any length of time you’re undoubetly heard stories of things that lie beneath the surface on Lake Norman and much of what your hear….is actually true. Maybe not eh sea monster but most of the other stuff. Buildings, plantations, cemetaries, planes, (yes- there is a plane), even a town of two. Among the most intriguing are the stories of two textile mills that were engulfed by the rising waters. One of these mills was the East Monbo Cotton Mill, which ceased operations in January of 1961 due to the formation of the lake. The floodwaters covered both the East Monbo and Long Island mills, both of which were owned by Duke Power and operated by the Superior Yarn Mill Company.
The East Monbo Mill was initially owned by the Turners before it was sold to Superior Yarn Mills in 1919. By 1920, the mill employed approximately 350 people who resided in the East Monbo Mill village. For many years, the mill utilized water flume and waterwheel technology and, for that reason, was located very close to the river’s shoreline. At the time of its closure, the East Monbo Mill had 132 regular employees, most of whom lived in the mill village. The mill-owned homes in the village were offered free of charge to their occupants, provided they could pay to have the houses relocated outside of the flood zone. Some of the equipment from the East Monbo Mill was moved to the Mount Holly plant operated by Superior Yarn Mills, while older and outdated machinery was left behind. If you’re familiar with the north part of the lake the East Monbo Mill, or whats left of it, sits just north of Windemere Island near the center of the channel.
There’s little information about the Long Island Mill but there are some photos. As you can see from the first photo it was actually a small town that that went under along with the mill.
I find these stories very interesting. If you have anything like this that would be worth sharing I would love to hear about it. I’m very curious as to how Gold Mine Island near Perth road got its name. I have an idea…
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If you’ve lived here for any length of time you’re undoubetly heard stories of things that lie beneath the surface on Lake Norman and much of what your hear….is actually true. Maybe not eh sea monster but most of the other stuff. Buildings, plantations, cemetaries, planes, (yes- there is a plane), even a town of two. Among the most intriguing are the stories of two textile mills that were engulfed by the rising waters. One of these mills was the East Monbo Cotton Mill, which ceased operations in January of 1961 due to the formation of the lake. The floodwaters covered both the East Monbo and Long Island mills, both of which were owned by Duke Power and operated by the Superior Yarn Mill Company.
The East Monbo Mill was initially owned by the Turners before it was sold to Superior Yarn Mills in 1919. By 1920, the mill employed approximately 350 people who resided in the East Monbo Mill village. For many years, the mill utilized water flume and waterwheel technology and, for that reason, was located very close to the river’s shoreline. At the time of its closure, the East Monbo Mill had 132 regular employees, most of whom lived in the mill village. The mill-owned homes in the village were offered free of charge to their occupants, provided they could pay to have the houses relocated outside of the flood zone. Some of the equipment from the East Monbo Mill was moved to the Mount Holly plant operated by Superior Yarn Mills, while older and outdated machinery was left behind. If you’re familiar with the north part of the lake the East Monbo Mill, or whats left of it, sits just north of Windemere Island near the center of the channel.
There’s little information about the Long Island Mill but there are some photos. As you can see from the first photo it was actually a small town that that went under along with the mill.
I find these stories very interesting. If you have anything like this that would be worth sharing I would love to hear about it. I’m very curious as to how Gold Mine Island near Perth road got its name. I have an idea…
