Browse Items (6 total)

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…