Several years ago I made a number of trips to Glencoe Mill, and spent numerous hours photographing the interiors and exteriors of the buildings in the complex.
The mill, one of the last of southern textile mills built to be powered by running water, operated from the late nineteenth century until its closing in the mid 1950's.
While the entire property held my interest, the dye house was the most appealing, at least from the visual perspective.
As seen in this image, the building interior had a movie set feeling appropriate for the next post-apocalypse blockbuster.
Since my initial visits, portions of the end wall, rear wall, and part of the roof collapsed into a pile of rubble on the floor of the building. It was a sad sight!
Recently Hedgehog Holdings of Raleigh, owners and stewards of a number of historically significant mill properties (including Glencoe), began repairing the damage.
I was asked by Hedgehog to document the rebuilding process. I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the next metamorphosis of Glencoe Mill.
The project, expect to last around five months, has just begun. To date the contractor has cleaned the debris, salvaged as much of the original material as practical, including the handmade bricks, and is restoring the shell back to it's original design. The interior will be updated to accommodate the new tenant - a nonprofit environmental learning center.
Here's a slideshow of the images to date. More images will be posted as the restoration continues. Stay tuned!
lane
