Henry River Mill Community is a small textile community in Burke County, North Carolina. The village is progressively eroding and degrading, but it is a good example of Burke County's early industrial area. The mill, as well as the town where it was located, were all abandoned in the late 1900s.

A Mill by the River

In its early years, the mill could operate 4000 yarn-making spindles, but this was later increased to 12000 spindles. The mill was capable of producing fine combed yarn for lace. Some of the homes in the neighborhood were built along the steep contours of the river's northern bank. The village's living quarters consisted of approximately 35 small worker's cottages. The mill workers lived in boarding houses or workers' cottages built by the company. The cottages were leased for a small fee. Around 1907, the four mill owners, the Rudisills and the Aderholdts built new homes for themselves just outside the village, and the settlement grew.

Later that year, in 1935, one of the houses burned down. From 1907 to 1917, one of the three-story brick structures served as a mill office, with the upper floor serving as a schoolroom and for religious activities. Rudisill designed and built a steel truss bridge across the Henry River in 1912. When it was finished, it was supposed to be the highest bridge in the state. Though it was one of the few structures not destroyed by the floods, it was eventually demolished to make space for a bridge. Henry River Mill transitioned from utilizing water to power its heavy gear to using electricity.

End of a Chapter

The mill was closed in 1971. The shutdown of the mill, which was the main source of employment in the area, resulted in the village's abandonment. The population began to decline gradually. Wade Shepherd purchased the mill in 1976 with the intention of restoring it. The rehabilitation failed because the mill burned down in 1977, possibly as a result of lightning. As a result, the mill was completely damaged and had to be abandoned.

Restaurant in the Offing?

The mill and community were listed on the North Carolina Study List of the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the remnants of the village's structures serve as reminders of the County's industrial past. The majority of the ancient structures in the Village may be found along a narrow gorge of the Henry River. A tornado devastated the company store in 2017, and the facility has been badly vandalized. The structure will be converted into a restaurant by the new owner. Twenty of the thirty-five mill homes remained, and twelve more are planned for tourist usage.