WELCOME TO SWANNANOA: In 1925, Beacon Manufacturing Co. opened in Swannanoa with roughly 200 workers. Over the next decade, the plant would continue to expand, eventually employing more than 2,000 people. Photo courtesy North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville.
The Swannanoa Valley Museum’s “History Cafe” series continues on Monday, April 22, at 10:30 a.m., with a presentation on the history of Swannanoa’s Beacon Blanket mill. Once billed as the “largest blanket manufacturer in the world,” the Beacon mill was moved from New England to Swannanoa in the midst of the Great Depression. Beacon was an integral part of the local economy and community until its closure in 2002.
In this presentation, writer and director (and Swannanoa resident!), Rebecca Williams, will delve into Beacon’s history in the context of the migration of the textile industry to the South. She will also share short clips from her upcoming film Blanket Town: The Rise and Fall of an American Mill Town.
This History Cafe presentation is free for museum members and students with ID. Nonmembers may pay $5 in advance online, or a $5-15 suggested donation at the door. Coffee will be provided. Seating is limited; please reserve your spot by clicking on the “Events” tab at www.swannanoavalleymuseum.org.