Free admission  Free ample parking  Nearby restaurants  Guided tours offered  Wheelchair/stroller    accessible Carolinas Textile Exhibit - Technology Textile mills were the technological revolution at the turn of the 20th Century, just as computers were the technological revolution at the turn of the 21st Century.  Textile mills brought one of Edison's original electric generators to the South (a first) and it was run by water-power -- probably the first hydroelectric generator. Air conditioning was invented for textile plants. And all sorts of mechanical inventions helped drive innovation. Images   Spinning Frame   spinningframe Edison Hydro Electric Dynamo   generator Oil Canister   HG_1995.14.2 Oil Canister   HG_1995.14.1 Mill Pick   HG_1983.3.5 Mill Pick   1983.3.4 Shuttle Track   HG_1994.71.5 Shuttle Track   1994.71.4 Brush   HG_1995.40.4 Bobbin   HG_1995.14.4 Bobbin   HG_1994.71.1 Bobbin   1999_T6a Hand Card   2000_T15 Bobbin   HG_1992.40.4 Bobbin   HG_1992.40.3 Bobbin   HG_1992.40.2 Sliver Brush   HG_1995.40.2 Textile Workers Scissors Case   HG_1995.14.10 Textile Workers Scissors Case   HG_1994.71.2b Textile Worker's Scissors   HG_1994.71.2a Dying Tube   HG_1996.53.4 ?   2001_T1n Shuttle   HG_1994.71.3a Pick Counter Pouch   HG_1994.71.9b Pick Counter   HG_1994.71.9a Shuttle   HG_1995.14.9 Pencil   HG_1992.40.12 Pencil   HG_1992.40.11 Pencil   HG_1992.40.9 Pencil   HG_1992.40.13 Pencil   HG_1992.40.8 Pencil   HG_1992.40.10 Spinning Machine Band   HG_1992.40.1 Reed Hook   HG_1994.71.7 Reed Hook   HG_1994.71.6 Reed Hook   HG_1991.71.8 Textile Worker's Clippers   HG_1994.56.1 ?   2001_T1m Traveller Hook   HG_1994.71.15 Traveller Hook   HG_1992.40.7 Textile Worker's Clippers   HG_1995.40.3 Picker   HG_1992.84.3 Picker   HG_1992.84.2 Tin   HG_1992.40.5 Scientific American Oct. 18, 1879   GCM Purchase Spencer Mountain Damask   2000_T5b Flat Shuttle   HG_1995.39.1.2 Spinning Bobbin   1999_T16 Spinning Bobbin   1999_T16b Spinning Bobbin   1999_T16c Bobbin   1999_T6c Shuttle   1999_T6e Whitin Textile Machinery Catalog   1999_T9a Cotton Mill Machinery Calculations Volume One by B.M. Parker   1999_T9b Saco-Lowell Cards and Lap Winders   1999_T9d Saco-Lowell Spinning Catalogue of Parts   1983.12.52 Component Parts of Drawing Frames 1921 Edition   1983.12.42 Cotton Card-Room Machinery Catalog   1999_T9e Component Parts of Band Drive Spinning Frames and Twisters 1924 Edition   1999_T9c Practical and Efficient Spinning   1999_T9f The Foster High Speed Winder Model 102 List of Parts   1983.12.30 Balance Scale   HG_1991.6 Fire Bucket   HG_1992.84.1 Lightening Rod   HG_1990.27.1 ?   2001_T1d Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.9 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.1 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.23 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.19 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.10 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.2 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.7 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.22 Bobbin   HG_1994.91.5 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.14 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.15 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.20 Bobbin   HG_1994.91.7 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.11 Bobbin   HG_1994.91.3 Bobbin   HG_1994.91.4 Quill   HG_1982.10.1.1 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.3 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.13 Bobbin   HG_1992.31.3 Bobbin   HG_1994.87.3 Bobbin   HG_1994.87.2 Spnning Bobbin   HG_1982.10.2.1 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.12 Spinning Bobbin   HG_1994.91.6 Quill   HG_1982.10.1.2 Spinning Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.24 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.5 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.21 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.25 Roving Skewer   HG_1982.10.5.5 Roving Skewer   HG_1982.10.5.1 Roving Skewer   HG_1982.10.5.3 Roving Skewer   HG_1982.10.5.4 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.6 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.4 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.17 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.26 Bobbin   HG_1994.91.8 Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.18 Roving Skewer   HG_1982.10.5.2 Warper Creel-Cone Adapter   HG_1994.91.2 Dying Tube   HG_1982.10.8 Merchant Mills, W.O Ware and Son Photograph   2000_T19 Panoramic View of Ply Respoolers Photograph   2001_T1c Postcard, Loray Mill   1995.42 Textile World, February 1961 Clipping: "From this Big Fire a New Start"   1999_T20 Cotton Opening, Cleaning and Picking Textbook   2001_T1 Yarn, Cloth, and Draft Calculation Textbook   2001_T1e Twisting, Winding, Reeling, and Bailing Textbook   2001_T1f Cotton Spinning Textbook   2001_T1g Cotton Drawing, Combing, and Fly Frame Processes Textbook   2001_T1h Cotton Carding Textbook   2001_T1i Textiles Review Gastonia, NC Vol. 7 1952 Periodical Collection   2001_T7c Textiles Review Gastonia, NC Vol. 6 1951 Periodical Collection   2001_T7b Textiles Review Gastonia, NC Vol. 5 1950 Periodical Collection   2001_T7a Operating Manual and Parts Catalog Ideal Industries, Inc   1986.6 Sumner Nylons   2000_T5 Thread Knotters and Spare Parts   2001_T4 Roving Bobbin   HG_1982.10.3.2 Roving Bobbin   HG_1982.10.3.4 Roving Bobbin   HG_1982.10.3.3 Roving Bobbin   HG_1982.10.3.1 Twister Bobbin   HG_1982.10.6.2 Doubler Tube   HG_1982.10.4 Creel Cone   HG_1996.53.3 Spool   1998.13.1c Spool   1998.13.1a Spool   1998.13.1b Shuttle   HG_1982.19.8 Shuttle   HG_1994.91.10 Shuttle   HG_1994.71.11 Shuttle   HG_1994.71.12 Cotton Spinning by Willis, Dunlap, and Moore   1994.19 Cotton Carding   1994.19b Textile Mathematics   1994.19c Twister Bobbin   2001_T1a Twister Bobbin   HG_1982.10.6.3 Reed Hook   HG_1994.71.8 ?   2001_T1b Spinning Bobbin   1999_T_16c Roving Bobbin   1999_T6d Shuttle (with bobbin)   HG_1994.71.13a Shuttle   HG_1994.71.14a Shuttle   HG_1994.91.9 Spinning Bobbin   HG_1982.10.2.2 Spinning Bobbin   HG_1982.10.7.23 Cable Separator   HG_1995.14.6 Cable Separator   HG_1995.14.5 Ply Card Holder   1995.14.12 Shuttle   HG_1994.71.3a Wrench   HG_1981.14.2 Spindle Bolsters   Pat2 Flyer for Speeder   Pat3 Spinning Frame Spindle   Pat4 Spinning Frame Spindle   Pat5 ?   Pat6 ?   2001_T1zz Bale of Sea Island Cotton   cottonb