Photo of The Month – Jul 2007

Mill Office

Myles Haynes, Jr.

We’d guess the year of this old hand-tinted postcard is about 1908. Some mill officials are gathered on the left while a pack of men and boys loiter outside the post office, perhaps awaiting their mail from the postal clerk, who is seen wearing an apron and sleeve garters, leaning on the office’s half-door. That’s S. Main St. running between the building and the hitching post in front of the superintendent’s house.

A closer view of the officials:

That’s W. L. Packard, superintendent of the mill, on the left. The next man is unidentified. The third man, wearing the swallowtail coat, is probably R.R. Haynes. In most of his photos, as in this one, Mr. Haynes would turn slightly away from the camera to present his profile. And who else in our little town would presume to wear such attire? The lady is likely Miss Una Edwards, the trusted secretary of R.R and, after R.R.’s death, his son Charles. Una worked all her adult life in the Cliffside Mills office. Beyond Miss Una, with his hat pushed high on his head, is the aforementioned Charles, who took the reins of the company in 1917.

The man in shirt-sleeves was never far from Raleigh Haynes. He is George Kelly Moore, master mechanic and master builder, R.R.’s right-hand man, who supervised the construction of this and every other building in Cliffside erected prior to 1930. There is a long feature article in the July-August 2007 Historical Society newsletter about Moore’s accidental death and funeral services. (Not a member? Join now.)

Myles and Chris Haynes had no idea they owned this precious old postcard until it turned up when they recently were packing to move to a new home. We urge all of you to move, right away. No telling what you’ll find.