Staley North Carolina
He was a surveyor, a Confederate registrar for enlistments of soldiers into the Confederate States of America, and a Confederate soldier in the 64th Regiment of the North Carolina Militia during the Civil War.
Old Colonial Families
The Town of Staley, founded in 1889, was named for Col. John W. Staley (Born March 24 1837), husband of Margaret Minerva McMasters Staley, and a Confederate officer in the Civil War. In 1883 he built a large 2-story house for his budding young family (5 kids) and a Post Office was established at what was then known as Staleyville.
Staley Hosiery Mill
Staley, NC The Staley Hosiery Mills, capitalized with $50,000, noted last week as having incorporated here, will manufacture hosiery on something of a large scale. P.A. Staley, C.P. Fox and Al McArthur are the incorporators. They have secured a building and contracted for the necessary machinery to enable them to start up at an early date.
(Textile World Journal May 4 1918; pg 225 Mill News cont. )
Hurricane Hazel severely damaged the mill in October 1954 and it stayed closed from then on.
There are still two mines operating in the very close vicinity. I remember Pop talking enthusiastically about the pyrophyllite mine.
Staley Mine | Carolina Pyrophyllite Co. | Surface | Talc-Soapstone | |
Staley Mine | Andalusite-Kyanite-Sillmanite |
Railroads & Quarries
The town was named for its founder Colonel John W. Staley, because he donated land for the railroad to have right away through the town and to build a passenger depot. This would enable passenger service north to Liberty, Mount Pleasant and Greensboro in Guilford County plus enable rail transportation of crushed soap stone for making of talcum at a nearby processing plant just north of Staley. The silky soft soap stone was dug from a large open pit mine known as the Soap Stone Mountain northwest of Staley that was owned by the Staley family.
