Dan River Schoolfield Mill

Posted by Steven Boaze on 10 December, 2008

1 comment so far

This item was filled under [ Business Development, Photos ]

The textile industry is nothing but a memory in Danville, Virginia. Dan River Inc., once an icon and at one time employed 15,000 workers is slowly being dismantled.

After being in business for nearly 126 years, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2004, but gained ground in 2005 after paying off some of its debts.

On a dreadful day in January 2006, Indian Textile Giant GHCL purchased Dan River Inc. for $93 million. Hundreds of workers lost their jobs, but the community lost a century of tradition that will never be replaced.

People from all over the region raised their family by working long, hard days and nights at the mill. Some were guaranteed a job as soon as they completed high school, because a family member worked there.

Building Area:

Building	Year Built / Upgraded	Square Footage
Main Office	1903,21	24,730
No. 1 Weave	1903,06,21	355,572
No. 1 Mill	1903,28,74	276,835
No. 2 Mill	1906,22	256,103
No. 3 Dress	1909,26	180,305
Boiler & Turbine	1913,14,47,52	63,369
No. 1 Dye House	1903,09	59,072
No. 3 Mill	1909	271,777
W Cotton Whse	1903,09,16,37	420,040
Print Shop	1922	38,909
No. 4 Weave	1914,60	300,030
No. 4 Mill	1914,27	307,531
No. 5 Finish Pit.	1922,52	794,046
Guest Building	1947	203,818
High Rise Whse	1969	63,815
High Tension Trans	1933,34,38,48	10,875
Pump House	1918,24	1,230
Tunnels	1903,13,17	18,225
S&N Metal Building	1948	25,368
Mini Clinic Building	1904,19	3,440
Blue Compress	1984	5,003

The Schoolfield Mill sits on 93 acres of land where each building is now being salvaged for its material. Soon, all that’s going to be left is a vacant lot. A once vibrant part of our culture will disappear right before our eyes.

Gallery#1

Gallery#2

Gallery#3

Gallery#4

Gallery#5

Gallery#6

Gallery#7

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Related Posts:

Tagged with: [ building, culture, dan river, industry, mill, schoolfield ]

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Comment on “Dan River Schoolfield Mill”

Wayne Oakes (1 comments)

13 October, 2009, 9:52

I worked in No l Weave, during 1955. Worked there as a Mfg Trainee. , Left Danville in 1969. Very sad to see the mill bite the dust. We will see many Companies & buildings go this route in the next few months & years. Very Sad.
Report this comment