From The Charlotte Observer, Feb. 12, 1917

Memorial Service Held Honoring Memory Of The Late Robert R. Haynes

Three Thousand People Gather At Memorial Service Of Man Who Labored And Built Model Mill Village, Endearing Himself To All

By Lee B. Weathers.

Cliffside, Feb. 11, 1917.—A thousand people gathered in the Baptist Church here today on the occasion of a memorial of the late R. R. Haynes, who died suddenly at his winter home In St. Petersburg, Fla. last Tuesday and in whose passing this state loses one of its greatest constructive forces. Although the day was bleak and cold, over 3,000 people gathered for miles around Friday to pay their respects to this captain of industry, man of varied affairs and friend to humanity.

In the church today men connected with his various interests paid tribute to his noble work as best they could but he was so loved by them that the speakers could not give proper vent to their thoughts because of the tearful sadness of the occasion.

The exercises were presided over by the pastor. Rev. D. J. Hunt, back of whom was a choir of 50 voices. Supt. W. L. Packard, who had been closely associated with Mr. Haynes for 10 years, paid a tribute to him as a man. Doctor Allhands spoke of his keen aesthetic sense and assured the people that Mr. Haynes’ ideas of beautifying the yards with flowers would be continued by the management. P. C. Hawkins, church treasurer, spoke of Mr. Haynes as a friend to the church and a willing financial contributor to the three denominations in the village. Mrs. R. B. Watkins, chairman of the home department work, spoke of his interest in this cause: A. Lancaster spoke of the foundation of the Cliffside Baptist Church, Mr. Haynes as its principal contributor and the removal of his membership from the country church to this place.

While these talks dealt with the past life of Mr. Haynes, the following gentlemen spoke of the future of Cliffside and the Haynes interests: Doctor Shull spoke for Charles H. Haynes, who was the closest living man to the deceased and on whose shoulders will fall the responsibility of carrying out his plans and ideas. R. Huskin, cashier, plead for the continued loyalty of the help and gave the assurance that while Charles H. Haynes does not possess the faculty his father had for showing his love and interest in all the people in the Haynes employ, he is a man with big heart, mind and soul and according to his father’s wishes, will carry out the development under way and adhere to his established policies and ideas. The future of the Haynes interests were also touched on by G. K. Moore. R. B. Watkins and B. P. Caldwell, who addressed themselves on the solid foundation on which Mr. Haynes had built, the fact that selfishness gave way to service, solitude to kinship to humanity and that his sons had been prepared under his guidance to carry on the work where Mr. Haynes leaves it. Rev. D. J. Hunt concluded the memorial service with an able sermon on “Mr. Haynes Our Moses.”

An Honest Million.

Beginning life in an obscure way, Mr. Haynes made his honest million. No man can say the tainted dollar touched his hand, his success was attained by stubborn energy, by un-wearied application and by indefatigable zeal. He was born on the farm in Rutherford County, his father dying when he was a boy, leaving him with a widowed mother, three brothers and four sisters. He labored hard on the farm, then later in the mercantile business and with his scanty savings purchased the cheap lands of lower Rutherford and the water rights along Second Broad River, which he later put in as his part of his investment in the Henrietta Mills at Henrietta and Caroleen, plants now capitalized at three quarters of a million dollars. Subsequent to this he built, single-handed, the Florence Mills at Forest City, which he later sold and began the development of Cliffside Mills, in the ownership of which he had associated with him Caesar Cone of Greensboro and B. D. Heath of Charlotte.

Mr. Haynes put his whole life into the building of Cliffside, which is considered one of the model mill villages of the South. It has a population of 2,600 people, 1,000 of whom work in the mill.

Mr. Haynes provided a savings bank for his employees, paid them 6 percent interest and at the time of his death $53,000 was in bank as a result of their accumulations.

His Varied Interests

Perhaps no man in this State had such varied interests as Mr. Haynes, and being a man of wonderful detail and system he kept personally in touch with all of his Interests when his health permitted. At the time of his death he was president of the Cliffside Mills, a million-dollar plant; president of the Haynes Mills at Avondale (a $250,000 plant under construction); president of the Haynes Bank, which has $12,000 capital stock at Henrietta and Cliffside; president of the Cliffside Railroad; president of Lakeview Mills, which includes a roller mill of 50-barrel capacity, a dairy plant and a knitting mill, which is to be erected; president of the Commercial Bank Rutherfordton; president of the Broad River Electric Power Company; director of the Charlotte National Bank; owner of Haynes Stores Nos. 1, 2 and 3, and had supervision over the four Cliffside stores which are owned by the Cliffside Mills.

To Continue Developments.

It is learned that the estate of Mr. Haynes will be kept intact according to his will for a number of years and the unfinished work which Mr. Haynes had in mind will be completed. The $250,000 mill at Avondale between Caroleen and Henrietta, which is to be a 20,000-spindle plant will be rushed to completion. At the time of his death half of the building was finished and the Cliffside railroad had been extended to the site.

The new management states further that the development of the 10,000 horse-power of electricity at the Haynes Shoals, in Cleveland County, will be carried on, the power to be used at the mills in operation and under construction. The Cliffside Railroad is also being built to the power site, as well as in the direction of Harris Station on the Clinchfield Railroad.

Editor’s note: The headline is exactly how it appeared in print. The headline writer actually used the name “Robert” instead of “Raleigh.”