Jackson Springs
July 20, 1908
To my children:
I have just been listening to some men talking
of the change and progress in developing and building up the town
they live in, in the last 20 years, and naturally it carried me
back over what I have done in the past 20 years.
About 23 years ago, I bought the old High Shoals
land in almost a wilderness of vines, thorn bushes, bamboo briars,
etc. I spent considerable of my time the next two years clearing
off the farm, building tenements, and clearing off the river bank
in preparatory to building a mill of some kind, I hardly knew
what.
Twenty-one years ago, just about this time of
year we began the work of building the mills there. I did a large
part of getting everything in shape and in constructing tenements,
mill, etc. This took 5 or 6 years. Then in about 8 years from
the time we began at High Shoals (Henrietta) we began to build
a mill at Caroleen. In this I did a great deal in getting the
options on the land needed, had the surveys of the power all made,
and built the first hundred tenements, started up the store and
other things.
Then, probably about four years later I brought
up the necessary land and built the mill at Forest City. Was about
1-1/2 years doing that. Then in 1901 I got up all the titles,
had the surveys all made and began the building of the Cliffside
Mills. Now in 1908 we have one of the largest, yes the largest
gingham mill in the south completed. So in the last twenty years
I helped largely to build Henrietta and Caroleen Mills, built
both the Florence at Forest City and the Cliffside Mills and town
entirely.
Besides this I have done hundreds of other things
a great deal of which you can remember. Such as building all the
buildings I have at Henrietta, building farm houses, developing
farms, merchandising, and hundreds I might say of other things.
So, I am sure you will all agree with me that
I ought to get out for a few days rest and treatment any time
I can.
When I go over in my mind what I have done and
gone though with in twenty-eight years, I wonder how I did it
all. But I am glad I did and hope what I have done will prove
a blessing and not a curse to all of you, and be a blessing to
hundreds of others and to the country.
Your father,
R. R. Haynes
