History of the Chatham Mills
Chatham Mills was erected in Pittsboro in 1924 as a new division of the Artistic Weaving Company of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, founded by A.C. Kluge of New York. Mr. Kluge chose Pittsboro for the mill site after he visited the area several times for quail and rabbit hunting. The site is known as "Factory Hill" since it was once the site of a tobacco and later a harness factory.
Chatham Mills opened in 1925 and was responsible for producing silk and cotton woven labels produced on a jacquard loom. It was once described as the world's largest woven-label mill. In 1965 the Pittsboro Throwing Corporation, which processed yarns used in label weaving, was added to the operation.
The mill closed in 1996.. The Chatham Mills Development Corporation is currently renovating the structure for adaptive reuse.
