Startex, South Carolina

Travelers Report #2 A Visit To Startex South Carolina	In the beginning	After the wrecking ball
All across the piedmont section of the Carolinas mill folk are beginning the very important task of assuring that the history of their mill towns and villages are preserved. In October of this year I made my first trip as a traveller for the Southwide Textile Heritage Initiative to South Carolina. One of those mill towns I visited was Startex. The town’s orginial name was Tucapau or as the locals pronounce it "Old Turkey Paw." Tucapau is an old Native American name meaning "Strong Cloth."	In many ways their project is a good model for any local group just starting out. They were lucky to have computers and people who knew how to use them. Donald Guy built a web-site. Karen Whitt, among others, started digitalizing the most important documents and photographs into her computer and then onto a CD-Rom. As a result of all this hard work something of the story of this mill and its people has been saved---and best of all by going on-line at startex.org. we can all see it. A special thanks to Carolyn Downing for opening her house so I could meet with members of the group.
On December 20, 2003 a local committee of folks, way too many to be named, rolled up their sleeves and got down to work. Their goal was to "preserve and maintain the history of the Startex Mill Community." They planned and then held a big reunion in April 2004. It was a big success and it helped launch the hard work they have been doing since.	Author and historian Jim Rumley is traveling to mill towns across the South to build interest for the 2005 Cotton Mill Reunion & Convention in Kannapolis. The Startex Reunion was a Big Hit.