It takes about 3 days for a spacecraft to reach the Moon, traveling around 240,000 miles depending on the route.
It took about 40 years and around 400 miles for a famous moon picture to return home to Rhodhiss.
John Allen was the Burlington Mills Plant Manager in Rhodhiss from 1981-1983, just before the company closed its doors in Rhodhiss in 1984. Upon leaving, he carried the memories of the town’s dedicated workforce through several moves, along with a physical reminder. Allen asked permission and purchased a special memento from Burlington Industries housed at the mill. That physical token is what Rhodhiss Town Manager Rick Justice had been searching for over the last 20 years. What was this souvenir? A picture of lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon gazing at Old Glory, the flag of the United States. But more important than the picture, was the engraved plaque on the picture frame that reads:
First Flag on the Moon
Fabric Woven by:
Burlington Industrial Fabrics Co.
Rhodhiss Weaving Plant
Rhodhiss, North Carolina
This event and the reason for the plaque propelled Town of Rhodhiss into history. On July 20, 1969, as residents gathered at homes fortunate enough to have a television, they watched the lunar landing. Commander Neil Armstrong took the famous picture Aldrin with the flag on the moon. While that was an historical occasion, a few weeks later, it was shared with mill employees that they had woven the material for the flag that was flying on the moon. Talk about excitement on top of excitement. First the talk around town had been the same around every town in America, but now, the talk was how Rhodhiss played a part in this monumental event. To show this was more than just a rumor, a NASA employee delivered the print to the mill for a presentation in 1969.
As the Town of Rhodhiss looks to the future in developing the Old Burlington Mills building, they are also looking to the past to find historical items for a museum. The Old Glory Mill, as the renovation project has been named, will feature a section of the regional 40-mile Burke River Trail as boardwalk between the building and the Catawba River, 80 apartments, a restaurant, roof top event space, Rhodhiss Town Hall with community meeting space, several small retail businesses and a museum. The framed pictured of the moon with flag will be prominently placed when the renovation is completed.
As Burke River Trail Executive Director Beth Heile shared these future plans with Allen, she said, “Old Glory Mill is a chance for Rhodhiss to have a town center that does not exist. I wrote in a grant application that when you drive through Rhodhiss, you think there is nothing to the town, unless you happen to stop and talk to one of the proud residents and then you see there is plenty of heart in Rhodhiss.”
Allen replied, “Good people. When I was here in the early 1980s, retail and restaurants were few and far between, but good people were all around. I worked at over 10 different manufacturing sites during my career, and never encountered a dedicated workforce like that in Rhodhiss. They were advanced laborers due to the materials they worked with – Kevlar and Nomex – they worked hard and took pride in their work.”
Alderman Donna Price was at the mill visit with Allen and chimed in that her grandfather worked at the mill and had 32 years of perfect attendance, even with having to walk to work.
The Justice and Allen meeting came about due to the fact it really is a small world. Heile had started the Valdese Supper Club in January of this year. Recent Valdese resident Mike Carter, an avid hiker, was a regular at the dinners. Due to Carter’s interest in hiking, Heile often provided trail updates which included the efforts of the Burke River Trail and Old Glory Mill in Rhodhiss. Though Carter also works in the textile industry, he met Allen through hiking groups and had heard the story of the moon picture. As they say, the rest is history.
Manager Rick Justice expressed his sincere gratitude to Allen for bringing the picture home and presented him a copy of the town history book Weaving the Heart Threads of a Mill Village: Rhodhiss, North Carolina by Sherrie Hartsoe Sigmon. Allen said, “My wife and I will be downsizing in a few years, my family does not have the interest in history that I have and I was carrying the burden of how to preserve this memento. It is a relief to return it to the place where it all started.”
As Armstrong said, “The Eagle has landed,” upon touch down on the moon, it can now be said the moon picture has landed. It is safe, back home in Rhodhiss.
