Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories 2019-2022 (Ms2019-045)
Dublin Core
Title
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories 2019-2022 (Ms2019-045)
Subject
Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
Textile factories
Textile workers
Grayson County (Va.)
Description
This oral history collection accompanies the Fries Textile Plant Records, which were donated to Virginia Tech in 1988 following the mill ceasing all operations. These oral histories center around the role the textile mill played in the town, as it served as an economic hub to Southwest Virginia during the early to mid 20th century. Many speakers were generational workers of the mill, but all had ties to it in some way. In this collection, interviewees cover living and growing up in Fries, VA, mill production and operations, and Fries today since the mill shut down. They hope to stimulate the economic energy once seen during golden age of the mill, as it went from a booming company town to impoverished.
Date
2019-2022
Rights
Permission to publish material from the Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.
Language
English
Type
Oral history recordings and transcripts
Identifier
Ms2019-045
Bibliographic Citation
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Collection (Ms2019-045), Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Rights Holder
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Collection Items
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Craig Wood, April 24, 2022 (Ms2019-045)
Craig Wood is a former CPA who grew up in Fries, Va., but moved away for college and a career. Upon retirement, he moved into his parents' former house with his wife. While growing up, he worked in the mill over the summer in the cloth and spinning…
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Willie Wilson, August 29, 2022 (Ms2019-045)
Willie Wilson, born just outside of Fries in Fallville, Va. moved back to Fries in 1965 to work for the Washington Mills Co. Textile Mill. He started in the gardener shop, then moved into the weave room as a doffer, which he remained as for decades…
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Kevin Combs, May 20, 2020 (Ms2019-045)
Kevin Combs grew up just outside of Fries, Va., and spent his summers working in the mill as a doffer. His family has history with the town, as his grandfather was the minister of the Baptist Church until 1945, and his father similarly grew up in the…
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Dennis Hines, (Ms2019-045)
An oral history interview with Dennis Hines, who, despite descending from generations of textile mill workers, never worked in the mill. In this interview, Dennis talks about his family's history with the town, growing up in Fries, and what happened…
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Chris Cooper, April 4, 2022 (Ms2019-045)
An oral history interview with Christine "Chris" Beamer Cooper, a Fries native who grew up in the Hollow, a small neighborhood within Fries. After moving to Galax in the 1960s, she worked for the Roses department store for forty years and settled in…
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Roger Hines, August 3, 2022 (Ms2019-045)
An oral history interview with Roger Hines, a former worker in the Fries textile mill. He began working in the card room in the 1970s, and worked intermittently in the slash room, as a spare hand, and on the interdraft. In this interview, Roger…
Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Melva Anders, November 26, 2022 (Ms2019-045)
An oral history interview with Melva Anders, a former worker of the Fries textile mill. She began in 1966 working in the spool room, and during her years long career would also work weaving, creeling, cloth inspection, and production. In this…
Collection Tree
- Regional History and the Appalachian South
- Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories 2019-2022 (Ms2019-045)