{"nrhp_refnum":"04000569","name":"Piedmont Buggy Factory","other_names":["Bearskin Cotton Mills,","Monroe Cotton Mills"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"514 Miller St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Monroe","county":"Union County","state":"NC","lat":34.98897162800006,"lon":-80.54595320099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-06-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick factory at 514 Miller Street in Monroe, Union County, North Carolina, built in 1910 for the Piedmont Buggy Company, with a late 1910s office, a boiler house and a ca. 1910 steel water tower. The architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the factory is significant under Criterion A for its association with the industrial history of Monroe at the local level. It was built as a full-assembly buggy plant, then converted in the late 1910s to the Bearskin Cotton Mills, later Monroe Cotton Mills, and made textiles until 1956. The period of significance ends in 1954.","narrative":"Built in 1910 on Miller Street in Monroe, North Carolina, this three-story brick building was constructed for the Piedmont Buggy Company as a full assembly plant. Blacksmith, woodworking, paint, upholstery and shipping work were done on separate floors, with a rail spur serving the site. A 1911 newspaper said the plant could produce 6,000 vehicles a year. As automobiles replaced horse-drawn vehicles, the company sold the factory in 1914. In 1918 it passed to Bearskin Cotton Mills, which began producing yarn in 1919 with 250 employees. Monroe Cotton Mills acquired it in 1924, and the plant operated until 1956. The complex includes a Craftsman-style frame office, a brick boiler house and a steel water tower shared with neighboring mills. The building keeps its segmental-arched openings, heavy timber posts and exposed ceiling beams. It was recognized for its role in Monroe's industrial development between 1910 and 1954, and an apartment rehabilitation is planned.","period_of_significance":"1910-1954","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No Style; Craftsman (office)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Many original windows are boarded up or lack historic sash, and a rehabilitation into apartments is planned. Current function is listed as work in progress.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:53.146403-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/90/7223/47722390/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/04000569.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000569/712f01a15d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000569/712f01a15d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mpbusyb","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Old_Buggy_Factory_and_Water_Tower.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Mpbusyb</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Old_Buggy_Factory_and_Water_Tower.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722390","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Buggy_Factory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19987545"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/union-county/piedmont-buggy-factory-04000569/"}