Textile Heritage Museum

The Textile Heritage Museum housed in the fully restored Glencoe Company Store and Management offices stands as the primary representation of the textile heritage of Alamance County and North Carolina. Glencoe Mills was among ten early mills built along the Haw River in Alamance County and operated from 1880-1954, producing various plaid and other cotton fabrics shipped worldwide. Today, this 6,000-square-foot museum exhibits some of the early textile machinery, including looms and sewing machines of this bygone era, fabric samples, quilts and coverlets, civilian and athletic clothing, military uniforms, photographs, business documents, journals and ledgers, early office machines, and personal artifacts of the mill workers and the community of Glencoe. Special exhibits on some of the more historically prominent textile manufacturers of North Carolina, including Burlington Industries, Cone Denim, Glen Raven Logistics, and Karastan, are among hundreds of other unique displays and treasures related to the textile industry of the early 1800's to mid 1900's. In addition to the museum, the Superintendent House, built in 1880-1882, stands across the street and provides visitors with a glimpse of life within the company houses where employees and their families lived.