Located along the Virginia border, Rockingham County was formed in 1785 from Guilford County and is considered part of the Greensboro-High Point metropolitan area. Both the county and its county seat, Wentworth, are named for British Prime Minister Charles Watson Wentworth, the Marquis of Rockingham who served during the repeal of the Stamp Act and was an avid supporter of American independence.
A significant site during the American Revolution, Troublesome Creek Ironworks, an iron mine established in 1770 near Monroetown, served as a temporary base camp for both British and American troops. Following the 1781 Battle of Guilford Courthouse, General Nathanael Greene and his men camped at the Ironworks complex to prepare for their next encounter with Gen. Cornwallis. Ten years later, George Washington visited the complex in his tour of the South and is believed to have had breakfast with the manager at the time.
The Ironworks, then known as Speedwell Furnace, was not a successful producer of high-quality iron. With today’s scientific advantage, the failure of the complex to produce iron was likely due to the composition of the ore in the area. However, the site did become a successful flour mill. The Ironworks is just one example of the textile and manufacturing legacy of the county.
Eden, so named for the nickname bestowed upon it by the territory’s 18th-century owner as the “Land of Eden,” operated as a center of manufacturing which contributed significantly to the Piedmont’s textile boom. The Spray Cotton Mill in Eden was a historical landmark for the community for more than 100 years until January of this year when a fire tragically broke out and destroyed the building. Though the Mill had been closed for more than two decades, the site was undergoing construction to convert the building into apartments.
Mayodan also experienced success in textiles with the Mayo Mill, which was constructed in 1895 by the prominent Winston-Salem businessman, Francis Henry Fries, and operated until 1999. Less successful was the abandoned mill town of Avalon. The Mayo Mill experienced instant success upon opening and in less than five years had more production volume than it could handle. In 1899 Fries built another mill in Avalon two miles north of Mayodan, which at the time was the largest textile mill in the state. On June 15, 1911, a fire broke out in the Avalon Mill and devastated the building with only the bulkhead remaining. Despite the Mill being insured, Fries opted to reallocate the insurance payout to the Mayo Mill. Within two years, the entire town of Avalon was abandoned with most residents moving to Mayodan to work in the Mayo Mill.
