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In 1966, after eight years in the Navy, Rhett Cozart was promoted to chief petty officer. Even though he was stationed in Key West, Florida — where he served as

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In 1966, after eight years in the Navy, Rhett Cozart was promoted to chief petty officer. Even though he was stationed in Key West, Florida — where he served as

In 1966, after eight years in the Navy, Rhett Cozart was promoted to chief petty officer. Even though he was stationed in Key West, Florida — where he served as an instructor at Fleet Sonar School — donning that new khaki uniform magically transported him 900 miles home to Cramerton, the small mill town where the material for his uniform was first woven and where his father still worked.

Stuart Warren Cramer

Stuart Warren Cramer Photography courtesy of The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room - Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

“You could tell they were good quality,” Cozart says. “They had a tight weave, but they still breathed and held their shape.” In all, three of the Cozart brothers had careers in the Navy, along with two uncles, and each of them had the opportunity to wear the 8.2-ounce “Army khaki” that was developed in 1929 and used by all branches of the U.S. military.

How did a small cotton textile mill in rural North Carolina develop a khaki twill that was worn by millions of American soldiers in multiple branches of service across three wars? To answer the question, it’s first worth exploring the life of Stuart Cramer, one of the most extraordinary industrialists and inventors that North Carolina has ever produced. Never heard of him? The next time you flip a light switch or turn the AC to “high” on a sweltering day, you might want to whisper a word of thanks to this gentleman. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

• • •

Born in Thomasville in 1868, Cramer attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and studied mining engineering at Columbia University’s School of Mines. Afterward, he became a chief assayer, testing the purity of precious metals for the U.S. Mint in Charlotte. “People were still finding gold in the area,” says his grandson R. Warren Cramer. “They would bring in their gold and have it assayed. But he was so fresh-faced and young, people kept asking to see the man in charge. He proceeded to grow a wonderful mustache. That helped give him some gravitas.”

Before long, Cramer found his true calling: designing and building textile mills. In a span of 15 years, he either built or designed more than 150 mills and published a four-volume handbook on the subject. During that period, he also found time to obtain 60 patents; work with James “Buck” Duke to create North Carolina’s first electric power company; operate Cramer Chair manufacturing; and develop the earliest version of air-conditioning to control humidity and improve air quality in the mills. He even coined the term “air-conditioning.”

Cramer’s four-volume handbook on mill design details the technology.

Cramer’s four-volume handbook on mill design details the technology. photograph by Chris Edwards

But by 1915, Cramer was at the end of his tether. “His health began to break,” Warren says. According to his grandson, Cramer was getting by on five hours of sleep a night and eating poorly on the long train rides to his multiple mill projects. When his wife told him the stress was killing him, he decided she was right.

R. Warren Cramer

R. Warren Cramer photograph by Chris Edwards

Although Cramer had become a shareholder in many of the companies that he worked with, he’d never owned a mill outright. But that was about to change. One of the mills he liked was in the community of Mayworth, about 15 miles from his home in Charlotte. He bought out the owner and divested himself of his other businesses.

“It was already a very fine mill community,” Warren says, “but he wanted to make it the best in the world.” Having seen firsthand a wide variety of mill operations, Cramer had insight into what made a mill successful, and he couldn’t help but notice that happy, healthy, and content workers were more productive.

The engineer reimagined the mill and the town, ultimately giving both the name Cramerton. For his employees, Cramer designed homes that were models of modernity, with electricity, hot water, and good ventilation. He paved the streets and installed sewers and streetlights. He built churches and schools. He attracted the best teachers and promoted education, encouraging the children of his workers to set their sights on a future beyond the mill. He also built a community center with ample recreational opportunities.

Mill Homes in Cramerton, NC

Even decades after Cramerton’s heyday, mill homes have stood the test of time. photograph by Chris Edwards

“We practically lived at the gymnasium and swimming pool,” Cozart remembers. “It was probably the best family-oriented company that you’d ever want to run across.”

Alice Brown agrees. “It was a wonderful place to grow up,” says the third-generation mill worker. “We had everything we needed. We didn’t have to leave Cramerton for nothing.”

Brown also has fond memories of Cramer’s wife, Rebecca: “She was the sweetest woman, I’ll tell you. She would load up her car with fresh fruit and come down to Center Street and give it away to everybody. She just loved Cramerton.”

Cramer recruited Brown’s grandfather Edward Reece to run the plant. “See, my grandpa grew up in Thomasville, and Mr. Cramer grew up in Thomasville,” Brown says. “So they met, and Mr. Cramer really liked my grandpa. He said, ‘Mr. Ed, I’ve bought the Mayes plant in a little town, and I want you to go with me.’”

• • •

Cramer’s winning personality and knack for developing relationships served him beyond hiring plant managers. He worked with the likes of Westinghouse and Edison and served as an economic adviser to Presidents Coolidge and Hoover. Ultimately, it was his relationship with his former Annapolis roommate, Curtis Wilbur — who’d gone on to become Secretary of the Navy — that led to the creation of Cramerton khaki.

According to Warren, the two men were reminiscing about their time at the U.S. Naval Academy, lamenting the heavy wool uniforms they used to wear. Although decades had passed, Wilbur pointed out, there had not been much improvement in the uniforms. “Well,” Cramer replied, “I’m in the cotton textile business …” and just like that, an idea was born.

Cramerton’s Veterans Memorial

Cramerton’s Veterans Memorial feature the town’s eponymous khaki. photograph by Chris Edwards

Cramer returned to the plant and solicited advice from his two sons, Stuart Jr. and George Bennett, who were both working for him. Stuart Jr. had served on Gen. John J. Pershing’s staff as a West Point officer. George Bennett — Warren’s father — would go on to serve with distinction as a liaison to the White House and was later recommended by President Roosevelt to Winston Churchill as American liaison between the British and American air forces.

“He talked it over with Stuart Jr. and Dad, and they all said, ‘We all need lightweight uniforms,’” Warren says. Stuart Jr. had connections with the Quartermaster Depot in Philadelphia, and a set of requirements were drawn up for a summer-weight uniform. Stuart Jr. stewarded the development at Cramerton Mills.

Throughout town, there’s an enduring pride in the signature fabric, featured in the “Khaki Town USA” mural. photograph by Chris Edwards

“They used a strong, long fiber that was woven into a tight cotton twill that almost felt like silk. It made for a wrinkle-resistant, almost waterproof fabric,” Warren says. “The military said, ‘This is some good stuff.’ The Navy used it for a while, then the Army requested it.”

First manufactured in 1929, it became known as Cramerton Army Cloth. The timing of its development couldn’t have been better: Production of the new fabric helped the plant survive the Great Depression. And thanks to the peacetime ’30s, Cramerton Mills could produce all the khaki the military needed — until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Suddenly, demand for khaki far outstripped Cramerton Mills’ ability to produce it.

• • •

More than Three generations of Cramers had already served in the military, so the value of service had long been threaded into the strands of their DNA. Having by then taken over management of the mill (Stuart Sr. died in 1940), the two sons released the patent, allowing other manufacturers to make the famous twill. This act of selflessness likely deprived the company of millions in future profits while earning something far more valuable: the enduring gratitude of a nation at war. In 1942, Cramerton Mills was bestowed the coveted Army-Navy “E” Award for achievement in the production of war materials.

In 1938, George Bennett Cramer looked on as calender rolls pressed an order of army uniform cloth. Photography courtesy of State Archives of North Carolina

After World War II, former soldiers using their G.I. Bill benefits flooded college campuses. And they repurposed their uniform khaki pants for peacetime use, creating a casual style that shows no sign of wearing out. George Bennett handed down his old Army Air Corps duds to his son Warren, who wore them through his days at Duke University. “Those shirts had body and firmness and structure that kept them sharp even though they were 30 to 40 years old,” Warren marvels, “even through those hot Duke summers.”

Stuart Jr. and George Bennett sold Cramerton Mills to Burlington Industries in 1946. By 1978, both of the original Cramerton Mills plants had closed, and the town of Cramerton struggled. “It’s certainly good to see that Cramerton has hung on — and there were periods where it was going through hard times,” says Cozart, who should know. He returned to his hometown after retiring from the Navy, serving 12 years on the town council and four as mayor.

1940s advertisement for Cramerton Army khaki

Cramerton built a reputation for quality that lived on in advertising long after the mill shuttered. photograph by Chris Edwards

Thanks to dedicated public servants like Cozart, Cramerton has experienced a steady renaissance. Instead of being torn down, hundreds of mill houses have been renovated. Kids still flock to the pool and gym built by Stuart Cramer. Every Sunday, the churches he designed draw faithful congregants. As a matter of fact, you don’t have to spend much time with the residents of Cramerton to realize that the qualities they embody — durability, resilience, steadfastness — are the same ones woven into the fabric that made their town famous.


More to Explore: Want to learn more about North Carolina’s hidden history? Click here to discover our video series.

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This story was published on Oct 29, 2024

Brad Campbell

In addition to being a regular contributor to Our State, Brad Campbell is a storyteller and a winner of multiple Moth StorySLAM competitions.