Oral History Interview with Orlin P. Shuping, June 15, 1975. Interview H-0290. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Orlin P. Shuping ran a mill in Rowan County, North Carolina. Until roads allowed Rowan residents easy access to nearby towns, Shuping's mill was a major provider of goods and services. Not only did Shuping mill cotton and lumber, he also sold animal feed and ground corn and wheat, often keeping a portion of the goods as payment. In this interview, Shuping reflects briefly on the changes that have taken place in Rowan County since his birth in 1903 and the daily workings of the milling process. Shuping never shut the mill down—which was first run by his father—until shortly before this interview took place, but he describes it as a vestige of an older mode of life forever altered by the changes that have taken place, and continue to take place, in rural North Carolina.
Excerpts
Describing a mill's role in the local economy
Remembering a very small town
Roads offer residents routes out of Rowan County, hurting local business
Running a successful business, even during the Great Depression
A steam-powered mill with a variety of functions
A mill draws customers because it is convenient
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Subjects
Textile industry--North Carolina--Management
Textile industry--Technological innovations
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