Durham Hosiery Mill No. 15
Also known as: Mebane Yarn Mills Inc.; Rockfish--Mebane Yarn Mills Inc.
Why it's listed
Built in 1922 by Durham Hosiery Mills, Inc., this two-story cast-in-place concrete mill on West Washington Street in Mebane was made to spin cotton yarn. Concrete pilasters divide its window bays, curved brackets sit beneath the cornice, and a projecting front tower holds the entrance and stair. Concrete construction and a sprinkler system reflect the effort to guard against fire in a cotton-processing building. The mill supplied yarn to Durham Hosiery Mill No. 8, built nearby in 1916, which handled finishing and packing. Ownership passed to Mebane Yarn Mills in 1937, later to the Dixie group, and then to R. L. Stowe Company, which closed the plant in 2001. Air conditioning around 1960 led to the windows being filled with concrete block, and a warehouse and extensions were added over the years. It is the only intact textile mill in Mebane, since Mill No. 8 now serves as the public library. Its period of significance runs from 1922 to 1960.
Significance in brief: The mill meets Criterion A (Industry) as the only intact textile mill in Mebane. It supplied yarn to the nearby Mill No. 8 and operated until 2001. After Mill No. 8 was converted to a library, Mill No. 15 became the building that conveys the town's textile history.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10001054, listed December 27, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 301 W Washington St, Mebane |
|---|---|
| County | Alamance County |
| Listed | December 27, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10001054 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1960 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The mill is undergoing rehabilitation; later brick veneer has been removed from the facade of the historic mill, and the current function is listed as work in progress. |
| Acreage | 5.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.09744, -79.27307 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10001054.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17514973
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.