National Register of Historic Places
Sterling Cotton Mill
Sterling Cotton Mill is a historic place in Franklinton, Franklin County, North Carolina, listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places on May 16, 1996. Its National Register reference number is 96000568.
Location 01
Sterling Cotton Mill
Drag to explore · scroll to zoom · select a marker
About this place
What is Sterling Cotton Mill?
Sterling Cotton Mill is the largest building in Franklinton, a railroad town in Franklin County, North Carolina. Local entrepreneur Samuel C. Vann established the mill in 1895, and his family ran it until 1975. It was one of just two textile mills started in the county in the 1800s, and it is the only one left. Clay dug on site made the mill's brick, and the clay pit became a reservoir holding water for steam power. By 1897 a directory listed 25 hands running 2,080 spindles and making 1,260 pounds of yarn a day. As the Detroit auto industry grew, much of the yarn became tire cord for rubber tires. A 1914 addition of about 60,000 square feet tripled the production area. The 1895 mill and 1914 addition show the Industrial Italianate style. One-story frame mill houses lie to the north, east and west. The mill closed in 1991, yet it is still one of Franklinton's most prominent landmarks.
Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination form (National Archives)
The record
Listing details
- Name
- Sterling Cotton Mill
- City
- Franklinton
- County
- Franklin County
- State
- North Carolina
- Listed on the National Register
- May 16, 1996
- NRIS reference number
- 96000568
- Resource type
- building
- National Historic Landmark
- No
- Coordinates
- 36.10002, -78.45665
When was Sterling Cotton Mill listed on the National Register?
Sterling Cotton Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 16, 1996.
Where is Sterling Cotton Mill located?
Sterling Cotton Mill is located in Franklinton, Franklin County, North Carolina at approximately 36.10002, -78.45665. See the map above.
Is Sterling Cotton Mill a National Historic Landmark?
Sterling Cotton Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but it is not designated a National Historic Landmark in this dataset.