Spray Industrial Historic District

Along the west bank of the Smith River in Eden, the Spray Industrial Historic District covers about 150 acres of brick textile mills, workers' houses, commercial buildings and water-power works. Its origins lie in the 1810s, when James Barnett built a dam, a 4,200-foot canal and a grist mill. John Motley Morehead later used the canal to power Eden's first textile factory, and his descendants added more mills. Most of the eight mills date from 1893 to 1903, and they share thick brick walls, heavy timber interiors, segmental-arched windows and tall stair towers. Around them stand frame mill houses along Riverside Drive, four larger bungalows built for mill administrators, and commercial buildings such as the 1890 Spray Mercantile Building and the 1912 Imperial Trust and Savings Bank. The district has seen little change since the 1930s, apart from bricked-in windows, shortened towers and two modern infill structures. It was listed as a well-preserved example of a North Carolina textile center.