Thomas Franklin Lloyd (1 February 1841 – 24 May 1911) is one of the founders of

Carrboro, North Carolina Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census.North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

industrialist who built the

Alberta Cotton Mill Carr Mill Mall is a small, local shopping mall located in Carrboro, North Carolina. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Alberta Mill Complex. It is also a host for numerous local live performances and other cultural ev ...

in 1898 in Carrboro; the former factory building is now home to the Carr Mill Mall. He was part of a prominent family that settled in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

in the 1750-60s. After serving in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in Company L, North Carolina 17th Infantry Regiment, Lloyd returned to his native Orange County. He quickly recognized the economic possibilities of the newly constructed

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 ...

in the town of West End, which is now known as Carrboro, and bought property adjacent to the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. There, Lloyd and a business partner, William Pritchard, built a steam-powered grist mill and cotton gin in 1883. This building, currently known as the Broad Street Building, still stands between Carr Mill Mall and the former railroad depot. In 1886, he bought out Pritchard's share in the grist mill and cotton gin, and had a flour mill built on the property. In 1898, he built the Alberta Cotton Mill on the same property, spurring economic growth in the area. Lloyd had numerous mill houses built for his workers, some of which are still historic points of interest in the town. In March 1909, North Carolina industrialist Julian S. Carr purchased the Alberta Cotton Mill from Lloyd. In February 1910, Lloyd, his brother Lueco, Isaac W. Pritchard, and W.S. Roberson formed a partnership and organized the Thomas F. Lloyd Manufacturing Company. They had a new mill constructed a few blocks south of the original Alberta Mill; construction was completed by mid-1911. This mill was also later purchased by Carr and the Durham Hosiery Mills.Brown, Claudia R., Burgess McSwain, John Florin, and Jane Hamborsky. ''Carrboro, N.C.: An Architectural & Historical Inventory''. Carrboro Appearance Commission, Town of Carrboro, 1983. 13-14. Lloyd never learned to read or write until late in his life (having never received any formal education), though he displayed great business acumen and skill. At one point, Lloyd became the richest man in Carrboro and

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. In 1885, Lloyd and his first wife, Caroline, purchased a brick, two-story antebellum home located at 412 West Cameron Avenue in Chapel Hill, now known as the Mason-Lloyd-Wiley House (built in 1860). Lloyd died May 24, 1911, in Chapel Hill, and is buried in the Bethel Baptist Church cemetery located on 9326 Bethel Hickory Grove west of Chapel Hill. There is a Thomas F. Lloyd Historic District (placed on the

National Register 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 v ...

August 14, 1986) in Carrboro that encompasses the mill village where residents of Lloyd's 1911 mill lived.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Thomas F. 1841 births 1911 deaths People from Carrboro, North Carolina American chief executives People of North Carolina in the American Civil War American city founders Place of birth missing 19th-century American businesspeople

See also

References