Jeanne Tannenbaum

Great Granddaughter of Mill Co-Founder, Herman Sternberger

In the 1890s the Cone Brothers asked the Sternberger brothers, Herman, my Great Grandfather and Emanuel to join them both to help finance and to manage a new mill in Greensboro which would be the first in the South to make flannel. Emanuel became President and Herman, Treasurer. Upon Herman¹s death, his son, Sigmund Sternberger became the Treasurer.

I have a wonderful memory of a visit to Revolution Mill as a child. I recall a very large factory floor that seemed to go on forever with many women wearing head coverings because of the lint that filled the air. It was very noisy and busy. There were a lot of people working hard. The hum of the machines was constant. Huge windows were open to provide a welcome breeze on a hot day.

How thankful I am that the building has been preserved by Martin Eakes and the Self-Help Corporation and transitioned to other uses serving the needs of Greensboro.

In the end the Revolution Mill was really part of something revolutionary. It helped bring the Industrial Revolution to the North Carolina Piedmont. The new south as envisioned by the Cones and the Sternbergers is the real legacy of Revolution Mill and its sister mills.