From The Forest City Courier, April 28, 1958
Charles H. Haynes of Cliffside, prominent Rutherford county resident, died Saturday night around midnight.
He had been in declining health for more than two years and became much worse Saturday night. He died en route to the Rutherford hospital.
Mr. Haynes was born in the Ferry section of Rutherford County, a son of the late Raleigh Rutherford Haynes and Amanda Carpenter Haynes.
His father had extensive real estate holdings in Cleveland and Rutherford counties and he and his family owned over 50 percent of the capital stock of Cliffside Mills and had other interests at the time of his death.
In the will of R.R. Haynes, he named his son, Charles, as executor and trustee of his estate and provided that he manage and carry on the various businesses just as they had been done before for a period of 10 years before making final distribution among his heirs. This was done and by the end of the 10 years, the estate had grown to about twice its original size and worth.
Charles H. Haynes attended Rutherford county schools, Charlotte schools, Baird's Military Academy in Charlotte and Guilford College. During vacations from school he worked on his father's farm and store at Ferry, clerked in the Henrietta Mills store at Caroleen and the Florence Mills store at Forest City. While attending school in Charlotte he worked on weekends at Belk Bros. Store.
After finishing school he began his career as bookkeeper and cashier for the Cliffside Mills in 1901, later becoming successively secretary and treasurer, vice president and in 1917 president, in which he served as president until his retirement in January, 1945, at which time Cliffside Mills was consolidated with Cone Mills Corp. of Greensboro. He was a director of that corporation until two years ago.
Mr. Haynes held various offices with the Cliffside Railroad Co. He was associated with his father during the construction of the railroad, and served in various capacities since it was incorporated in 1905 to 1917. He served as president and director from 1917 to 1945 and had been chairman of the board since then.
He was also associated with his father during the construction of the Cliffside Mills, and completed the construction of the Haynes Mill and the town of Avondale which had been started just at the time of his father's death.
Charles H. Haynes served as vice president and director of the Haynes Bank at Cliffside since its incorporation in 1907 until 1917, and as president from that time until January 1952 when he resigned and was elected chairman of the board.
He was also chairman of the Cliffside school board and a trustee of the Rutherford hospital.
Mr. Haynes joined Floyd's Creek Baptist church when he was 14 years old and later moved his membership to the Cliffside Baptist church. At the latter he served on the Student Loan Fund for the church.
He was a Mason, a Shriner, a member and former president of the Rutherford County Club, and a member of the Cleveland-Rutherford Executives Club.
He was married to Miss Catherine Culpepper in 1945.
Surviving in addition to his wife is one sister, Mrs. Barron P. Caldwell of Marion; and 19 nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at 3 o'clock at Cliffside Baptist church with the body lying in state one hour prior to the service. Rev. Tom Lawrence will conduct the service and burial will be in the family plot in the Cliffside cemetery.
“Mr. Charlie” Haynes was a man of strong devotions—to his town, his county, to family and friends, and to a number of charities.
He liked young people, and though he had no children of his own, he felt close to his nieces and nephews, and to other youngsters he didn't even know.
His charities were many—some known to a few people, many never known to any but his immediate family.
He gave regularly to Boys homes, and similar organizations and to all local causes.
He loved Cliffside, the town his father founded and “Mr. Charlie” continued to develop.
He loved his home, where he had lived for the past 58 years, his neighbors and friends.
And he knew most of the families in Cliffside. Some of them had worked for his father, and for him, for many years.
At high school graduation time, Most of the Cliffside graduates knew “Mr. Charlie” and sent him invitations, so that finally he began getting a list of graduates from the school principal and sent each a card and $5.
But for each of his philanthropies that were known, there were a dozen that only he himself knew.
Reprinted with permission from The Forest City Courier. Copyright owned by The Forest City Courier.
Copyright © 2008 The Cliffside Historical Society
