Old West Durham's Profile

Welcome to Old West Durham, Liz. We're so glad you've come to this little mill village. Your place is beautiful.

For context, I've added a brief history of the cotton mills on Ninth Street (below).

with best wishes,

John Schelp, president
Old West Durham Neighborhood Association
john@owdna.org :: www.owdna.org

Up at the Erwin Mills, the steady noise of the cotton looms hummed throughout the tidy mill village. Making denim and sheets, the mills discharged its hot, soapy water into the creek, leaving the entire neighborhood smelling like a Laundromat. When the noise stopped on Sundays, West Durham seem unnaturally still.

Mill managers, like William Erwin and E.K. Powe, walked through the mill village and stopped to talk to the workers in their yards and on their front porches.

Folks were invited to band concerts in Erwin Park. Workers were given rose bushes to plant in their yards, and many still bloom in Old West Durham.

Neighbors watched the mills baseball team beat its cross-town rivals at the old ball field at West Main and Broad (where Mad Hatter's Bake Shop is today). Then they'd sit on the porch until it was cool enough to retire.

In the distance, you could hear the train whistle. And you still can today.

More neighborhood history... http://www.owdna.org/History/history.htm