Tire Fabric
From Kentucky
• • Fireslone Texliles Company's fabric-producing in
stallation outside Bowling Green, Ky., is newest of the three
company division units (Gastonia plant dates to 1935; Benn-
ettsville, S. C., to 1943).
The Bowling Green operation began producing fabric
in early 1968 in major section (back left in photo). Behind
Tir«$ton«
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
MARCH • 1971
AFTER
36 YEARS
MHW
Camp Firestone Closed
A fond farewell to Camp Firestone on Lake James. The Firestone Textiles
employee retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Marion closed its 36th con
secutive season last October—fittingly, as the “Rooftop of Eastern America” was
“decked out in flame and gold.”
Upcoming early May
would have been the begin
ning of a new season. How
ever, the camp will not open,
because Firestone Textiles
Company management an
nounced in February that the
facility is being closed per
manently.
President James B. Call said
the decision was based on a
sludy of attendance over the
past several years. The review
showed a declining interest in
employees' use of the camp, es
pecially on week days.
“Cost of maintaining the fa
cility has increased excessively
over the past several years,”
said Mr. Call. “In view of this,
management felt that the small
number of our people using the
camp did not justify our con
tinuing its operation.”
Mr. Call pointed out that the
money the company would
spend in continued maintenance
and operation of the camp will
be applied to other employee-
benefits programs.
Camp Firestone Opened In
1935 • That was the year
the company began operating
the Gastonia plant. Manville-
Jenckes, former owners of the
Gastonia facility, had operat
ed the Lake James retreat
under the name Camp Bridge
water. Nebo is the postoffice
there, Bridgewater being a
neighborhood nearby.
The camp was one of the
South’s first recreation facilities
operated by an industry for its
employees.
Through the years it has pro
vided employees and members
of their families a place for
fun, rest and relaxation in a rus
tic, scenic setting.
• More on page 2
shop (right foreground) another production unit was later
constructed.
Fabric-treating unit No. 9 (center background) is similar
to No. 8 at Gastonia.
Firestone Bowling Green plant was the first textile fa
cility of its kind in Kentucky.
Stories Behind The Names
Firestone Textiles Com
pany production facilities for
tire cord-fabric are at Gas
tonia, N. C. (headquarters),
Bennettsville, S. C., and
Bowling Green, Ky.
Of these place names, there
is only the one Gastonia and the
one Bennettsville in all the 50
States. But Bowling Green, Ky.,
shares its place name with
seven other states: Florida,
Indiana, Missouri, New York,
Ohio, South Carolma and Vir
ginia.
The Kentucky Bowling Green
is the largest town of the eight
with that name. Next largest
is Bowling Green, Ohio. The
other six are villages and ham
lets.
Gas:lonia, Bennettsville and
Bowling Green. Whence came
the names?
Gaston County and its seat of
government, Gastonia, are both
named for William Gaston,
whose fame dates to the early
1800s. He was a U.S. Congress
man from North Carolina, later
a justice of the NC Supreme
Court; and maybe best remem
bered as writer of “The Old
North State Forever” song. Gas
tonia was incorporated in 1877.
Bennettsville, seat of govern
ment for Marlboro County, S C.,
was named in honor of Gov.
Thomas Bennett. He was South
Carolina’s Chief Executive at
the time of Bennettsville’s
founding in 1819.
Bowling Green, Ky., a frontier
outpost founded in 1780, was in
corporated in 1812. The cross
roads town in the New West
• More on page 4
Two More Awards For UCS Participation
The Gastonia Firestone plant and its people for the
second year received the Award of Excellence from United
Community Services of Gaston County at its annual honors
meeting in February.
LOST TO USE BUT DEAR TO MEMORY • Through the
trees, the row of cabins down the hill to the boat landing, and
(right) water's edge in cove on Lake James.
At the same time. Firestone
again was presented the Out
standing Citizenship Award —
this the 12th consecutive one.
Both awards pay tribute to ex
ceptional company - employee
contribution to the UA funds-
gathering effort last fall.
The Award of Excellence is
the highest UA honor bestowed
for outstanding achievement.
The Citizenship Av/ard recogniz
es participation of 80 per cent
or more and pledges averaging
$10 or more among employment
of business and industrial firms,
schools, hospitals and other in
stitutions.
The plant's contribution to the
last UA drive was through vol
unteer service in the campaign
and the in-plant pledges of $35,-
258.20 — largest amount ever
solicited here.
Contributions averaged 29.43
of total number giving.
Firestone participation in the
campaign was a determining
contribution to the success of
the funds drive, which earned
for the Gaston County United
Appeal the Jefferson Standard—
North Carolina United Appeal
Award.