#6 History of Company Shops/Burlington When World 11 broke out, the government took over the old Rayon Plant on North Church Street, and moved Fairchild Aircraft Company into it to begin production of a twin-engined training plane. After a number of planes were produced, the operation was closed as the military had shifted its emphasis to the heavier four-engined bombers and the AT-21 plane was then obsolete. The plane was unique in that it was constructed entirely of plywood. Toward the end of the war, Fairchild left, and the Firestone company moved in to produce guns as a part of the war effort. The war years brought tremendous growth to the area. Many new people moved in to work at Fairchild and a completely new community went up on the sight of the property where Eastlawn Elementary School and the City Schools Administration building are located today. A community of barracks like buildings were constructed to house the workers at Fairchild and the area became Fairchild Heights. After the war ended, the Western Electric Company took the plant which was still a government owned facility. That added still another economic boost to the area. Much of the work done there was for the military. In the 1960s and 1970s, Western Electric made components for many of the nations defense missiles. The Nike system mainly with its Ajax and Hercules units. In the 1970s the plant was geared for new growth with the production of the new Safeguard system, a new and elaborate system of defensive missiles, but treaties with the Soviet Union ended this program before it had a chance to begin. That resulted in severe cutbacks in production and employment. After the breakup of the Bell system in the 1980s, the local plant became an AT&T facility and it continued operations until early 1992 when that plant was moved to a new site in Guilford County's Rock Creek Industrial Park. Hosiery has been a vital part of Burlington's economy for many decades. At one time, the city was billed as "The Hosiery Center of the South". The MAY Hosiery Mill was one of the largest, later becoming MAY, McEWEN, KAISER, and then a part of Burlington Industries. STANDARD Hosiery Mill became KAYSER-ROTH, and then that group took over the Burlington Industries hosiery facilities, and KAYSER-ROTH remains as a major hosiery producer in the area today. There are many other hosiery operations some of them relatively small in the Burlington area, producing hosiery which goes all over the United States and many other parts of the world. Today in 1999 these hosiery mills have survived both the good and bad times: TOWER Hosiery on West Trade Street, STRATFORD on N. Church Street, PICKETT Hosiery on E. Webb Ave., MEBANE Hosiery on N. Mebane St. KAYSER-ROTH on S. Main St, JEFFRIES Socks on N. Church, GREAT AMERICAN on Plaid St. and S. Church are just a few. To be continued with #7...SCHOOLS