Open house will showcase refurbished mill house

Jimmy Tomlin, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Dec. 16—HIGH POINT — The High Point Preservation Society will unveil its latest restoration project this weekend, showcasing a newly refurbished house in the historic Highland Mill Village.

The house, at 1112 Textile Place, will be the site of an open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

About 1,000 hours of volunteer time and effort went into restoring the house, said Benjamin Briggs, president of the High Point Preservation Society.

"We exposed the original walls and ceilings, we restored the original windows, as well as the front porch and the back deck. We redid the kitchen and bathroom to be more modern. We're very proud of how this little mill house has been converted into a cottage," he said.

The small house, believed to have been built in 1912, was part of the original mill village established by Highland Mills for its employees and their families. It was one of about 150 houses built by the mill in south High Point.

"The Highland Mill Village is on the National Register (of Historic Places), so it's an important site for High Point's history," Briggs said. "Highland was seen as a model mill village when it was created — it's been deemed by sociologists to be outstanding."

The High Point Preservation Society purchased the house with a $50,000 grant from The 1772 Foundation, a Connecticut foundation dedicated to historic preservation work. The grant allowed the society to create a revolving fund through which properties such as the mill house could be purchased, restored and then sold back to the public.

"So this house will be for sale, but first we wanted to show it off," Briggs said. "We saw an opportunity to highlight the Highland Mill Village and show off the flexibility of these mill houses. For young people or artisans or retired folks, these houses are the perfect size, and they're right on the city bus line. We wanted to show off all of that."

Admission to the open house is free, but donations are welcome.

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579