From The North Carolina Standard
published at Raleigh, NC
Wednesday September 2, 1863

Correspondence of The Standard
Graham, NC August 26, 1863

The town of Graham is situated about the center of Alamance County less than a mile
from Graham station, sixty miles northwest from Raleigh, and was named in compliment
to one of North Carolina's most distinguished living statesmen, now Senator elect
in the next Congress. The county of Alamance was formed in 1848 (sic) being cut off from the
western portion of Orange County, 36 miles north and south in length, and 14 miles in
width, east and west. Alamance can boast of several factories successfully carried on at
the present time. Some of which I will mention; five cotton factories, three making both
cloth and yarn- and two yarn alone, viz: Alamance factory, E. M. Holt, proprietor; Granite
factory, T. M. Holt, son of the former; Big Falls factory, Murray & Brother; Saxapahaw,
J. Newland (Newlin?) & Sons, and Clover Orchard, H. W. Willard, the last being on Cain
Creek near the Chatham line. The iron interest has not been neglected, and there is one
large iron factory for casting and making heavy machinery, one mile south from Clover Orchard,
on Cain Creek, owned and worked by Messrs. Dickson (Dixon?), Davidson, & Co. The workshops
of the N.C. Railroad, between Goldsboro and Charlotte, at the town of Saxapahaw (sic),
commonly called “Shops” do all the iron works for locomotives etcet, and coaches, cars, & c.,
quite extensive in various operations where mechanism is used. It is some two miles from the
Courthouse at Graham---Alamance County is celebrated for its extensive railing facilities,
producing upon its rich, red alluvial lands, upon its rivers and creeks, good wheat in abundance;
there are at least twenty flouring mills now in operation, the most important among them I will mention;
at nearly all, flour is made at good as any in the country. The largest is situated on the Saxapahaw
river, on the railway, and is owned by F. Fries & Co., and is capable of turning out from four pairs
of stones, about a hundred barrels per day of good flour. Mebane's flouring mill, near Mebane;
Hufman's mills, near Gibsonville station, and the company mills, in the northern part of the county.
There are a half dozen large tanneries, located in the different parts of the county, at all of
which good leather is manufactured, Quercitron bark abounding in its extensive oak forests.
In Graham, Messrs. Klapp and Berry have been making a good article of mould candle for several months,
manufactured out of clarified tallow and wax, and make some twelve hundred a day, finding ready sale
at the factory at $2.50 to $3.00 per pound. Two factories for manufacturing tobacco are carried on
the county north of Graham, owned by Messrs. Murray & Corbin, and W. B. Vincent & Son. Mr. Clark
has established a cigar factory in the town of Graham, and manufactures from Florida grown tobacco,
as good a cigar as can perhaps be procured in the Southern Confederacy; in fact, his finest
"Colorades" would puff their own fragrance in the world along side of the Tobacco Puros of
Venito D'Bajos country of the Queen of Antilles, Cuba itself.

Mr. C. is also manufacturing smoking tobacco, having machinery for bolting and packing;
also makes snuff of good quality, of both kinds as a dentifrice and as a sternutative;
and has now eight operatives engaged in cigar making. His cigars are as well made,
look as well, smell as well, smoke as well, if not better, than any manufactured at home or
abroad---pretty good for Graham. Nearly all the planters of Alamance cultivate the sorghum,
for making syrup, and from what I have seen and been informed, there will be at least twenty
thousand gallons of syrup made this fall in Alamance alone. The rolling mills that are used are
of cast iron and are manufacture near Clover Orchard.

You have probably heard of the recent railway accidents. There have been two this week already.
Though no lives were lost, they were both as near general death as possible, not to accomplish it,
and both could have been prevented by proper caution. The first, near Durham, Tuesday morning at 3 o'clock.
Too much wood had been placed on tender and carelessly packed, a large stick having been left hanging over,
which fell off, when the train was just getting well under way, and became wedged tightly between rails at end of switch,
throwing off the track cars of train next the tender, smashing both cars, breaking wheels and injuring the track,
producing detention of five or six hours of mails and passengers.

The other accident was on the bridge at Saxapahaw, Haw River, where there is a grade and watertank
near the bridge---"freight" ran into "passengers", injuring several seriously, but fortunately, killing no one.
This happened about six Wednesday morning. Such accidents are entirely too common on this road,
and the attention of Directors should be called to them, and the delinquents discharged and suitably
punished by being sent to the conscript camp.