The Mill Houses..... Boarding houses offered many workers a first or temporary home. There were quite a few in the early days in Haw River. Among them Mrs PORTERFIELD'S, Mrs McCLURE's, and the BLACKMON household. With very little means of transportation in the early days of the mill, the owners built "row houses" as near to the mills as possible so that the workers could walk to work. As the village grew, the row houses were replaced with more standard housing. Most of Thomas HOLT's houses were built in villages that encompassed both sides of the river east and west of the mill itself. Built on the contours of the hills overlooking the river, the individual houses sat on lots usually 50 feet wide with depths of 75 to 100 feet. The typical mill house was built of frame construction on joists resting on brick pillars. They resembled small farmhouses and were probably built by local carpenters. The smaller houses cost between $250 and $450 to build. Toward the end of the 19th century, the design of mill houses was pretty well standardized. Air was free to circulate under the houses. Flooring was of four inch pine boards, windows usually had six panes with the upper sash fixed in place and the lower one free to move, but needing to be held up with a stick. Roofs were either shingled or of tin. Most of the houses had few rooms, ours only had three, but some houses had up to eight rooms. The one story houses had two rooms in the front and one in the back. Because practically all the property in the Village of Haw River belonged to Governor HOLT, he could pick his residents, all of whom were connected with the mill operation. He tolerated no lawless elements, so Haw River was a peaceful village during HOLTs lifetime. On Red Slide most everyone attended the Haw River Methodist Protestant Church, my ANDREWS great-grandfather had lived next door to the church, but had died before I was born. TROLLINGER Cemetery was on the other side of the Church. This area of Haw River was called "Walnut Grove". I remember well the church socials, dinner on the grounds, Christmas plays and special music, plus the yearly Easter egg hunt, and May Pole Dance. We children looked forward to May Day more so than Christmas, that was the day that our parents let us go barefoot and shed that dreadful winter underwear! Dr Java Cleveland WILKINS was the doctor in Haw River, his office was located behind JONES Drug Store. He first made house calls by horse and buggy, later he owned a "Flanders" which was one of the first auto's in Alamance County. It has been said that he wore out five buggies and ten auto's during his medical career. His nurse, Miss Flora PATTON worked beside him and often rode with him to make his house calls. The mill operated the company store and the workers could be paid partially in credits to be used at the store. This store was located across the road from Granite Mill. It is no longer standing.