GREENSBORO,
In the Beautiful Piedmont Section
of the New Eldorado.
f Paoer read by Mrs. D. E. Osborne before the
BusidKs Men's Convention at Southern Fines.
N. C- April 1899.
Xhe sun shines" on no fairer re
gion than the Piedmont section of
North Carolina, nor is there any
where in the world a section of
equal extent better fitted to become
the"home of a rich and prosperous
people; nowhere will intelligent
labor yield a richer and surer re
ward in so large a variety of in
dustries; nowhere will a fair com
petence secure a larger -amount: of
health and happiness.
Centrally situated in the broad
est bortion of the fertile and pop
ulous Atlantic slopewhere the
North and the South blend into
each other, it partakes of the na
ture of both, and. when it Jully
realizes its opportunities, will lay
heavy tribute on both. No fairer
skies nor more propitious heavens
bend above any portion of our
common country. Its medium lat
itude and its elevation of from five
hundred to" fifteen "hundred feet
aboye the level of the sea assures
relief from the oppressive heat of
lower latitudes and of the eastern
coastal plain. The Jong unbroken
wall of the Appalachian mountains
extending from southwest to north
east across our northwestern -bor-"
der forms a naiural barrier against
the cold winds and the violent
storms which sweep across the-
states of the Mississippi valley.
Rarely does the temperature rise
above ninety degrees F.-in summer
or fall below ten degrees in the
winter. The sudden and violent
changes of temperature of the
West and North are unknown to
us. The damage done by storms
and cyclones is inappreciable. The
annual rainfall, about 54 inches,
is ample for crops of all kinds ;
and this rainfall is almost exactly
the same for each of the four sea
sons. Droughts and floods are un
known. One of the three most
healthful regions of the United
States is located near the center of
this section, and another lies hard
on its borders. In all the history
of the state no destructive epi
demic of any kind has visited its
people, while' thousands of people
in recent years to whom life bad be
come impossible in harsher cli
mates have found here health and
increased length of days. The per
cent, of mortality from lung dis
eases is little more than-one-tenth
the mortality from the same cause
in New England. These are con
siderations of the highest import
ance for the home-seeker ; for "all
a man hath will he give for his
life," and more would he gfve for
the life of his family.
In this section the belt of native
and cultivated products of the
North and South meet and over
lay. The northern limit of the
cotton belt extends 'diagonally
across its center from Cleveland
county in the south to Granville
on the north. The southern limit
of the tobacco belt lies just north
the southern tier of counties, ex
tending east and west into the
sandy level of the coastal plain
and into the French Broad valley.
On the clayey lands of the middle
and northern counties wheat is
grown with as much profit as in
any section of Virginia. Two or
three years of careful cultivation
" with some fertilization from the
compost heap will easily bring any
of the red clay soil to a yield of
thirty bushels to the acre. Gorn
and the grasses maybe grown with
profit in every part of this section.
Every kind , of garden vegetable
grows luxuriantly; the western
tier of counties is unexcelled for
apples, which attain to the, great
est perfection and never fail;
peaches and a great variety of
small fruit may be grown tojper
fection ; and come of the choicest
varieties of grapes are native here.
The rich grasses make cattle rais
ing and dairying as profitable as
in the North, while the large amount
of small grains and the excellent
climate make poultry raising one
of the farmer's most profitable in
dustries. Extensive forests of
- pines and hard woods supply large
quantities of lumber and timber
for all purposes and immense quan
tities of wood for fuel. This last
item alone amounts to $6,000,000 a
year. The lumber from our pine
forests is sufficient for. all local
building purposes aad is also a
valuable article of export. Our
oaks, unsurpassed in quality,
make the most valuable furniture
and finishing material. Our hick
ory, made into spokes and handles,
is soldas far west as Washington
and Oregon and as far east as
England and Germany. The shut
tles of thousands of-cotton facto
ries are made from our persimmon
and dogwood, and the best timber
for all the agricultural implements
- of the South Atlantioand Gulf
states mfght be furnished by our
forests for a century to come.
Nor is the mineral wealth" of this
section less important. - Gold is
nroduced in three-fourths of the
counties and ?the best quality of
iron ore is found in more than hal.
The granites and brown stones of
this section are of excellent quality
and are; easily quarried. A bunj
dred cities might be built in this
section from stone underlying their
sites or , within easy reach. Air
most very where are good brick
and pottery - clays, and in some
places jthe quality is of the best.
The soap-stone ledges of Chatham
have "recently become the basis of
an important business. .
7 This brief partial summary will
serve to call .attention' to the va
riety of the natural resource and
abundance of the raw material of
this section. Nor must you sup
nose the people have not learned
rn turn this raw material into the
more valuable products of the fac
tory and skilled labor. Two hun-
dred cotton factories, chiefly along
the line of the Southern railroad
from Goldsboro to Charlotte and
Rutherford county, spin more cot
ten than is grown in the state.
Winston, ! Greensboro, Durham,
Reidsville and Oxford manufac
ture a large portion of our tobacco,
and this industry has been a chief
source of wealth for at least two of
these cities. High Point, in Guil
ford county, eighteen miles from
Greensboro, is the principal furni
ture town in the South, and in al
most every town of this section are
to be found one or, more factories
for the manufacture of sash, blinds
and doors, or for carriages or agri
cultural implements. . All these
manufacturing enterprises being
close to abundant raw mateiial
and near to the markets both
North and South; having abun
dant water power, enough to turn
the spindles of the world, (which,
because of the even distribution of
the rainfall to all of the four sea
sons, is constant throughout the
year,) or cheap fuel, both coal and
wood, and being located in a sta
tion which produces, at small cost,
and almost at their very doors,
three-fourths of the food consumed
by owners and operatives, yield
large profits ; and the manufactur
ing spirit, growing with what It
feeds upon, is increasing in geo
metric proportion.
Near the center of this section,
with all its variety of resources and
its growing industries, sis situated
the thriving city: of Greensboro,
the principal railroad center of
this'section and the state. These
roads give quick transit and cheap
freight to all parts of the state and
to the Piedmont section of South
Carolina and Virginia; and, what
is more; important, they give the
same connection with the great cit
ies of the North, and the cities,
fields, forests, and mines of the
South. This central position and
its unequalled railroad facilities
give Greensboro the advantage over
every other town as a manufactur
ing and distributing center an
advantage which its own people
and the far-seeing business men of
other places are beginning to real
lize. ' -
Though as old. as the century
and always containing a steady,
industrious, intelligent, and relig
ous population, the best blood of
the state and wisely conservative,
Greensboro's population numbered
little more than 3,000 at the time
of the taking of the national census
in 1880, her manufacturing plants
were few, and her trade was chiefly
with the people of Guilford and adi
joining counties. But since then
the population has increased four
fold, and her business more than
ten-fold. One who knew' Greens
boro ten or fifteen years ago as a
small town with pleasant homes
and beautifully shaded streets, and
a Sabbath like quiet seven days in
the week, should he return nowj
would be astonished ahd'amazed at
the numerous factories and large
wholesale houses on every hand.
Of these large wholesale houses
there are more than a dozen, in
eluding wholesale grocery stores
wholesale dry-goods houses, whole
sale hardware houses, a wholesale
shoe house, and others. Many of
these are the largest of their kind
in the state, and some larger than
any other between Richmond and
Atlanta. Their "sphere of influ
ence" extends over a territory with
a radius of a hundred and fifty to
two hundred miles on every side of
Greensboro, including the southern
part of central Virginia and all the
upper half of South Carolina!
Some of them have invaded the ter
ritory of Richmond, Atlanta, and
of JKnoxville their advantage in
freight rates and in quickness of
delivery giving them the advantage
over these cities. In other direoi
tions territory lias been conquered
solely by superior energy and beti
ter business methods. A glance at
the map will show that this terrii
tory covered by Greensboro's comi
mercial travelers embraces the most
prosperous and progressive section
of these three states. It contains
population of 3,500,000, more
than two-thirds white. The center
of white population in North' Cari
olina passes through Guilford coun-
ty. iis.ine Dusinesa ana weaitn or
this- section, and the, three states in
crease, the wholesale trade, now
amounting to many millions of dol
lars annually, must increase in pro
portion.' And one may safelypre
dict that the number -of -wholesale
houses, which has more than doub
led in the last two years and whose
volume of business has quadrupled,
will increase with- equal rapidity
until Greensboro is everywhere rec
ognised as the" leading wholesale
centre oi all this Piedmont section.
r In;, addition to the wholesale
houses already mentioned, it must
be remembered that there is an im
mense wholesale business connect
ed with the leading manufacturing
establishments. The most impor
portant of these is the Cone Ex
port Company, whose force of office
clerks, bookkeepers, stenographers,
etc., numbers about sixty persons.
This firm maintains offices in New
York City and many of the other
principal cities of America. They
also employ a corps of twenty-five
travelling salesmen, who represent
the business in its various lines
throughout the United . States and
Central and South America.
The manufacturing plants have
multiplied and increased the capac
ity no less rapidly than have the
wholesale houses. , For many years
the manufacturing of tobacco was
probably the most important man
ufacturing industry in Greensboro ;
but, as everywhere in this section,
the manufacturing of cotton is tak
ing the lead. The Proximity Man
ufacturing Company, which oper
ates one of the largest Denim mills
in the United States, is now doub
ling its plant and building 250
more houses for its operatives.
When this addition is completed,
as it will be this summer, this mill
will employ 1,000 hands. TheHu
comuga mills In the southern part
of the city employs 100 hands and
makes the finest grade of Madras
cloth ever produced In the South.
The Southern Finishing and Ware
house Company operates the only
finishing works in the South. Since
its establishment six or seven years
ago it has done much to establish
for the South a reputation- on col
ored cotton goods. This mill em
ploys regularly 200 hands and of
ten runs on double time to keep up
with orders. It sells ite output in
all parts of the world. There is
now in course of construction an
other cotton mill, the Revolution
Cotton Mill, which is intended : es
pecially for the manufacture of
Canton flannels. Messrs. 'Moses
and Ceaear Cone have a controlling
interest in the mills and have done
much ii other ways to help build
up the city.
1 Among other establishm ents may
be mentioned the hosiery and knit
ting mills ; the Sergeant Manufac
turing Company's plant for the
manufacture of the Sergeant sash
weights and sawmills, turbine
wheels, etc. ; three foundries which
turn out a large number of, stoves
and other hollow-ware ; a pants
and overall factory ; a mattress fac
tory; - a furniture factory; etc.
Plows and other farming imple
ments are also manufactured.
About a half dozen planing mills
and sash, blind, and door factories
use up immense quantities of raw
material and turn out finished pro
ducts for the local markets and the
cities and towns North and South.
Two spoke and handle factories
work up the hickory, so abundant
in this section, into spokes and
handles, shipping the product to
all the principal markets. . The Po
mona Tile works produce and ship
600 car loads of sewer pipes and
other tiling annually. To avoid
tediousness, suffice is to say there
are a dozen or more factories not
named here, flour mills, carriage
factories, a harness factory with
large trade, ice factory, etc., etc.
Two large nurseries, each doing an
nual business of from $50,000 to
$75,000, and some smaller nurseries
should be mentioned. The soil and
climate is - especially adapted to
this business. i
The blanking facilities necessary
for the transaction of this rapidly
increasing volume of business, are
supplied by three banks and a
loan and trust company, of which,
the Greensboro National Bank
takes the lead. Their wise and
conservative management during
the boom times of the early nineties
and the time of failure following,
must be counted a chief agency in
enabling the city to make constant
progress when other cities were
suffering from stagnation and fail
ure." .-. ' '
From the beginning, the people
of Greensboro have been noted for
their interest in education and re
ligion. The people are a church
going people, and some of the
handsomest and costliest churches
in the state are in Greensboro.
The place has long been known as
an educational center, and four
leading educational institutions are
now located here, two for each race.
The State Normal and Industrial
College, for women, now in its
seventh year, has had a phenomenal
success, its growth l and develop
ment not having been surpassed by
any institution of its kind iri the
United States.' -The state makes a
regular 'annual appropriation of
$25,000 besides the appropriation
from the Peabody fund and other
sources of income. The faculty
numbers about thirty teachers and
assistants,- and there are about
four hundred and fifty students
besides the two hundred and twenty-five
pupils' in the practice and
observation school. These students
come from every part of the state
and represent every j grade of so
ciety.' It is the purpose of the col
lege to give the young women at
tending it that broad and careful
culture which every woman should
possess, and in addition to "give
them such professional training as
will fit them to , teach in the schools
of the state, or such, industrial
training as will prepare them for
home-making or enable them to
make their own support and add to
the wealth of the state. ! ! j
The Greensboro Female College,
under the patronage of the Metho
dist Episcopal Church, South, is
one of the oldest and best ; known
schools for young women in the state.
The Agricultural and Mechani
cal College for colored youth "of
both sexes, s located here, is sup
ported by the state and national
governments, receiving from , the
two about $17,000 annually It is
well managed, has an able faculty,
and is doing much good in the cul
tural and industrial' education of
the negroes of the state. Bennett
College is a school of high grade,
founded and supported by northern
philanthropy. j ! r j
But more important for Greens
boro than all these colleges is its
excellent system of public graded
schools,, three for white, children
and two for colored, supported
chiefly by special taxation, open
nine months in the year and free
to all children of both races, be
tween the ages of six and twenty
one years. These schools are care
fully managed by a school board
and an able superintendent, land
are taught by scholarly teachers,
most of whom have had special
training for the work in the State
Normal' and Industrial College or
elsewhere. The course ef study
extends over ten years, and pre
pares boys and girls for entrance
at any of the colleges of the state.
Au unusually large per cent, of the
pupils remain in school until they
have finished the entire course. It
is greatly to the credit of Greens
boro that it was the first town In
the state to vote a special tax ' for
the support of its public schools,
having done this as early as 1874,
and that it has' always kept its
schools free from the influence of
partisan politics. The people of
the city again showed their inter
est in education and their progres
sivehess when they voted to issue'
bonds of the city to the amount of
$40,000 to aid in erecting the
buildings of the Normal and Indus
trial College and the Agricultural
and Mechanical College $30,000 to
the former and $10,000 to the latter.
As already stated, the population
of the city has increased four
hundred per cent, since the! begin
ning of the decade. Did time per
mit,it could easily be .shewn that
the internal improvements of the
city have kept pace with the de
velopment of its commercial, manu
f acturing,and educational interests.
Fire companies, gas and electric
lights, telephones, water and sewer
age. But the great growth which
the city will make in the next few
years will demand many improve
ments not yet needed by the sma Her
town, and preparation is being
made for this. A bill will be sub
mitted to the vote of the j people
authorizing the issue of $300,000
of the bonds of the city for paving
streets, extension of sewerage, etc.1
Of course it will be voted, and
when the proceeds of the; bonds
have been expended wisely, as they
will be, Greensboro will be not only
a great commercial and manufac
irJg center, .but one of the -most de
lightful, residence cities in the en
tire country. L
It should be mentioned before
closing that the officials of the
great Southern railroad have shown
.their faith in the future .develop
ment of Greensboro, by erecting a
passenger depot, the handsomest
one In the state, at a cost of over
$60,000. j ! j
Thus briefly have I tried to select
some of the steps in the develop-;
ment of Greensboro, and to point
out a few of the elements of growth
which must soon make it the queen
city of this wonderful Piedmont
section. In conclusion, I can only
invite you to come and see for your
self, and learn that "the half has
not been told." Our gates ever
stand wide open to welcome the
stranger, and bur people give a
warm welcome to such as wish to
cast their lot with us, lend their aid
in building up our city and section,
and', share our burdens and the,
fruits of our common labors, j ;
4
time it's a sign of poor management ru Vt
all. your cleaning with , . ,
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LEADER IN LOW PRICES. 118 SOUTH ELM ST.
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