History To-Go: Textiles

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Did you know that North Carolina used to be a worldwide leader in textile production? Yarn, cloth, clothing, and other goods made from cotton were produced in the mills that spread across North Carolina beginning in the early 1800s. When the Civil War began, every single mill in North Carolina began working to produce pants, coats, blankets, sacks, and cloth for the Confederate army and the war effort. Another big expansion happened during WWI, when North Carolina mills began producing goods for the military again. Although textile production was a big plus to North Carolina's economy, not everything was positive - workers in the mills were almost always severely underpaid, exposed to unsafe work environments, and subjected to extremely long work days and weeks. It wasn't uncommon for entire families - including young children - to work in mills together. Often they lived in mill villages where the houses they lived in and businesses they shopped at were also owned by the mill owner, giving the owner total control over their employee's lives.

April's "History To-Go" box features Textiles! You can come by the museum starting Tuesday, April 5, 2022 to pick up a box (limit 2 per family). Limited supplies, so come early!  You can select the links below to access the box contents if you cannot get to the museum to pick yours up!

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Thanks to funding from the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation Inc, and the Arts Council of Fayetteville we are offering FREE "History To-Go", take home craft kits.  

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