Chatham Manufacturing Company-Western Electric Company
Also known as: National Carbon Company
Why it's listed
Heavy timber and brick industrial complex on Chatham Road in Winston-Salem, centred on a three-story woolen mill begun in 1907 by the Chatham Manufacturing Company. The company, founded in Surry County and expanded to Winston in 1906, became a major blanket producer and dominated North Carolina's woolen industry in the following decades. During the Second World War and the Korean War, the United States government owned the complex and leased it to the National Carbon Company, which made submarine batteries and underwater detonators for the Navy. Western Electric occupied the plant from 1946 until 1966, producing military communications equipment and later switches and circuits for telephone networks. The surviving buildings, dating from 1907 to the early 1950s, show the fire-resistant mill construction of the period and the steel and concrete systems used in later additions. The complex is regarded as one of the city's oldest textile-related mills and as a record of the industrial growth of the area.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant for its role in North Carolina's woolen industry under Chatham Manufacturing Company and later for defense-related production by the National Carbon Company and Western Electric Company. Architecturally, it is presented as one of Winston-Salem's oldest textile-related mills, with a heavy timber frame and brick main mill and intact industrial additions through the early 1950s.
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 11000509, listed August 4, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 750 & 800 Chatham Rd., Winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | August 4, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000509 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1907-1961 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Western Electric closed the plant in 1966; some buildings were demolished in the 1980s and a parcel was subdivided. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Within district | North Cherry Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.10396, -80.25432 (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 11000509.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55075227
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.