The late 19th-century textile boom brought North Carolina from its purely agrarian origins to national prominence as a manufacturing powerhouse, and created entire mill communities, mostly across the Piedmont. Glencoe Mill Village on the outskirts of Burlington — once known as the Hosiery Capital of the Nation — is one of the few fully preserved mill communities remaining in the state. Here, you’ll find the Textile Heritage Museum. The museum’s executive director, John Guss, is passionate about preserving our state’s textile history in a time when most of the big mills have closed or moved abroad. Guss believes that it’s important that North Carolinians understand and care about our state’s industrial past.