A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds for the glencoe mill village.
Whereas, the Glencoe Mill Village in Alamance County is an example of the mill villages that were once prevalent throughout the South in the 19th century; and
Whereas, James H. and William E. Holt, sons of textile pioneer Edwin M. Holt, founded the Glencoe Mill in 1880; and
Whereas, the Glencoe Mill Village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently being considered for a National Historic Landmark designation; and
Whereas, the Glencoe Mill Village consists of approximately 108 acres of land along the Haw River and includes the brick mill complex, 32 houses, the mill office and store building, 10 lots that were sites of original mill houses, two historically contributing water towers, an eight‑acre island, and 48 acres of undeveloped land; and
Whereas, the Glencoe Mill closed in 1954, and the village's residents eventually moved away; and
Whereas, in 1997, Preservation North Carolina purchased the abandoned Glencoe Mill Village to serve as a model for preserving an entire mill village as an economic redevelopment project; and
Whereas, Textile Heritage Museum, Inc., has purchased the mill office and store building to continue fulfilling its mission of telling the story of the southern textile industry and preserving the cultural heritage of southern mill villages through the interpretation of textile history of Alamance County; and
Whereas, Alamance County and the City of Burlington have made contributions toward the redevelopment of the Glencoe Mill Village by providing services to the site; and
Whereas, the unique Glencoe Mill Village site supports heritage education, heritage tourism, environmental education, conservation, eco‑tourism, and recreation; and
Whereas, once fully restored, the Glencoe Mill Village will serve as an important tourist designation for Alamance County and will have the potential of a $10 million economic impact on the local economy; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Cultural Resources the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for the 2005‑2006 fiscal year to restore the water towers and repair the dam at the historic Glencoe Mill Village site in Alamance County.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2005.