Borden Manufacturing Company
Also known as: Goldsboro Cotton Mills; Wayne Cotton Mills
Why it's listed
Two brick textile mills face each other across North William Street in Goldsboro, a few blocks north of downtown. The Goldsboro Cotton Mills building, begun in 1892, is a two-story, gable-front structure with segmental-arched window openings, corbelled brickwork and small wooden eave brackets. Across the street stands the 1900 Borden Manufacturing Company building. Borden bought the earlier mill at auction in 1904 after its owner, Wayne Cotton Mills, went into receivership, and the two plants then operated together. The complex covers nearly twelve acres and includes an eighty-foot brick smokestack, a boiler room, a water tower and a pedestrian bridge linking the mills. Inside the 1892 mill, open floors, exposed brick walls, chamfered timber posts and thick plank floors reflect slow-burn construction used to resist fire. Windows have been bricked in and later one-story additions extend the north ends, but the original openings remain visible. The property is recognized for its place in the state's textile industry between 1892 and 1954.
Significance in brief: The complex is presented as significant for its role in North Carolina's textile industry, with a period of significance from 1892 to 1954. The surviving mill buildings retain heavy-timber slow-burn construction and Italianate-influenced brick detailing. Borden Manufacturing bought the earlier mill at auction in 1904 and combined the two plants.
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 04001583, listed February 2, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 800 and 801 N. William St., Goldsboro |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | February 2, 2005 |
| Reference number | 04001583 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892-1954 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Italianate-influenced; heavy-timber industrial construction |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions listed as industrial storage and waterworks; many windows bricked in and substantial late twentieth-century additions on the north ends. |
| Acreage | 11.8 |
| Coordinates | 35.39459, -77.98823 (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 04001583.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20709112
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.