Carr Mill Mall is a small, local

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

located in Carrboro, North Carolina. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

as the Alberta Mill Complex. It is also a host for numerous local live performances and other cultural events.

History

Built in 1898 by Thomas F. Lloyd, it was formerly a

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven b ...

known as the Alberta Cotton Mill. By 1913, it had become one of the world's largest hardwood cross-tie makers, shipping them on train tracks adjacent to the mall that continue past Carrboro to the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. In 1909, the Julian Carr family bought the mill. In 1913 Carrboro, previously known as West End, was renamed "Venable" in honor of Francis P. Venable, the president of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

at that time. The mill closed by 1930. In 1945, the mill re-opened and remained open until the 1960s. In 1974, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted to have the building torn down to build a shopping mall on the site. In light of community opposition to the plan, the idea was scrapped, and the mill complex was renovated and reopened as Carr Mill Mall. The complex now houses numerous restaurants and stores as well as commercial office space on its upper levels. Weaver Street Market, Carrboro's co-op grocery, is one of the primary tenants of the complex and sponsors numerous outdoor events and performances on the lawn in front of Carr Mill Mall. The song "

Freight Train Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) haul ...

" by Elizabeth 'Libba" Cotten was inspired by the train that ran on the

State University Railroad The State University Railroad is a 10.2 mile railroad spur of the North Carolina Railroad that began offering service from Glenn, North Carolina, near Hillsborough to a point west of Chapel Hill, North Carolina on January 1, 1882. History As ...

spur past her house on Lloyd St, and which served the needs of Carr Mill. Cotten wrote the song in the early 1900s, as a young teenager.

References

External links

Carr Mill Mall website
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina Shopping malls in North Carolina Shopping malls established in 1977 Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Cotton mills in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, North Carolina 1977 establishments in North Carolina Industrial buildings completed in 1898