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Lessons from mill hill stand out
As Aberfoyle torn down, man remembers it better than ever
JOE DEPRIEST


The Aberfoyle Mill in east Belmont burns brighter than ever in Don Flowers' memory this Christmas.

Brick by brick, the old building near a bend in the Catawba River is coming down to make way for condos.

Flowers, 70, regularly checks on the progress. As the mill fades, his childhood memories of the place grow stronger: singing in a children's choir one Christmas in the plant's yarn packing room; Santa's visits there with employees; neighbors in the village passing out toys to other kids like they were part of the family.

And Aberfoyle folks were a big family, Flowers recently told me. Sharing life in a textile community drew them closer and the threads were woven into the fabric of their memories.

As Flowers and I sat in his Belmont home, he showed me a toy adding machine his neighbors gave him for Christmas one year. He told me about the favorite swimming hole, roller skating parties behind the plant and tossing horseshoes in the playground.

"Every day at the Aberfoyle was special," Flowers said.

The way of life he'd known in the Aberfoyle had vanished. But the village's gift to him had lasted: a network of friends who still keep in touch and support each other. And they've been there for Flowers during his recent serious illness.

In 2002, Flowers retired as real estate administrator for the city of Gastonia and still works there part-time. Last January, he learned he had ALS -- Lou Gehrig's disease. He's taking therapy and trying to stay positive, but he's almost lost the use of both hands.

"In general, it gets worse and worse each day," Flowers said. "But you do the best you can."

Remembering the Aberfoyle helped him step away from illness for a while.

Simple pleasures

I looked up the Aberfoyle in Robert Allison Ragan's history of textiles in Gaston County. The original plant started in 1926 as Belmont Processing Company, part of the Lineberger-Stowe group.The Aberfoyle Manufacturing Co. of Philadelphia eventually bought the operation.

Flowers was born in House No. 52 on Linestowe Drive. Both of his parents worked in the mill. He was 7 when the family moved to House No. 35 -- right beside the Catawba. His back yard ran down to the water, and there was a popular swimming hole nearby.

The Barefoot sisters who lived next door had standing orders from their mother to keep out of the river. But they went swimming there anyway. If their mother caught them -- usually by noticing their wet hair -- they'd always lay the blame on Flowers.

The standard excuse from Laura Barefoot: "We couldn't help it if Don pushed us in."

Flowers laughed at the recollection. He still keeps in touch with Barefoot, who is 80 and living in Charlotte.

The Aberfoyle village had a playground, snack hut, clubhouse, tennis court and 9-hole miniature golf course. Folks from all over east Belmont came there for the free outdoor movies on Tuesday and Saturday nights in the summers.

Flowers helped me see the Aberfoyle in all seasons through a child's eyes.

The whole village was a playground -- always safe and secure.

"If you grew up there, you not only had your own parents, everybody in the mill village was your parent," Flowers said. "They took care of you. If you were at someone's house at supper and wanted to eat, you ate. And if you did something bad, they'd tell your parents."

The larger Aberfoyle family came together at Christmas in the mill yarn packing room -- the most indoor space available for a community gathering.

Benches were set up for programs such as the children's choir. Flowers pointed to himself in a photo of the group -- a tall, skinny kid with a smile. (The choir director, Ruth Rucker, is 95 now and still living in Belmont.)

When the Christmas program ended, Santa Claus handed out bags of apples, oranges and candy. The gift were simple, but the mill kids appreciated anything they got.

"Simple pleasures were the best," Flowers said.

Keep fighting

The Aberfoyle is like a dream now. But Flowers still has a firm hold on it.

In 2008, he'll organize a reunion of folks who lived in the village. He's joined the recently formed Friends of East Belmont to build a monument recognizing East Belmont Elementary School, where he and other mill kids attended classes. (The school, which was torn down in 1973, stood on Catawba Street near the present-day Park Street United Methodist Church.)

Meanwhile, Flowers will keep getting therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive and degenerative disease of the nervous system. He knows there's no cure or medication. But with the help of his family and the greater Aberfoyle family, he's determined to keep fighting.

It's a simple lesson he learned on the mill hill: Don't ever give up.

In My Opinion Joe DePriest


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Joe DePriest: 704-868-7745; jdepriest@charlotteobserver.com

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