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Businesses, mills and venues

Reverie Lingerie plant

The Reverie Lingerie plant was a New York-owned undergarment factory that opened in Hillsborough in 1955. Its workers struck for recognition of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union in April 1957, and that September an explosion and fire destroyed the plant, ending about eighty jobs; four men were convicted of the arson in 1960.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

People in its history

People named in events about this site, ordered by number of mentions. Each example links to an entry with a source citation.

Sites linked through the same people

In the chronology

Storyline about this site, with a page of its own:

  1. Reverie Lingerie takes the Uzzle building near Hillsboro for a pilot plant Reverie Lingerie, Inc., a New York firm, took a year's lease on the Uzzle building, formerly the Bates Garage, on Highway 70 northwest of Hillsboro for a pilot plant of about 30 workers and 23 machines that would train people for a larger plant of 230 planned for Durham while turning out goods for sale. The Employment Security Commission took applications for the jobs on May 14. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 12, 1955, p. 1
  2. Reverie Lingerie opens a sewing plant in Hillsboro Reverie Lingerie, Inc., a New York firm, began making women's acetate panties on an assembly line in the former Bales building on Highway 70 near Cole Motor Company, with about 25 women from Hillsboro, West Hillsboro and Efland at work and up to 50 expected. Officials called it a one-year pilot for a larger plant planned in Durham, though they said it might stay, and aimed for 60,000 garments a week. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 14, 1955, p. 1
  3. Hillsboro businessmen move to build a new plant for Reverie Lingerie A group of Hillsboro business and professional men took the first steps toward a local development corporation to build a 26,000 square foot plant, about $150,000, for Reverie Lingerie, then running a pilot operation north of town. The firm had dropped plans to move to Durham and hoped to grow to 250 workers. People: Robert O. Forrest, Don S. Matheson The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 19, 1956, p. 1
  4. Workers at the Reverie Lingerie plant in Hillsborough go on strike for a union Employees of Reverie Lingerie, a New York-owned undergarment plant opened in Hillsborough in 1955, walked out and set up a picket line to win recognition for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. The company asked for a labor board election, which the union opposed, and the strike lasted about six months. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 4, 1957, p. 1 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 11, 1957, p. 1; The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), December 12, 1957, p. 10
  5. The garment workers' union files unfair labor practice charges against Reverie Lingerie In its first public statement on the Hillsboro strike, the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union said it had filed charges with the labor board accusing Reverie Lingerie of intimidation, of laying off three workers for union activity and of refusing to bargain. Company president Sidney Eller answered that the three had been laid off for lack of work and that he had offered an election, which the union would accept only if strikers stayed out until a day before the vote. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 18, 1957, p. 1
  6. Reverie Lingerie begins hiring replacements for its striking workers Four weeks into the strike, company president Sidney Eller said Reverie Lingerie had hired 13 new workers since April 26 and would keep hiring until its needs were met, citing a Supreme Court ruling that let an employer fill strikers' places. By mid-May he said nearly a full crew of replacements was at work while union members still picketed. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 2, 1957, p. 1
  7. Garment workers' union publishes an open letter on the Reverie Lingerie strike The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union ran an open letter to the president of Reverie Lingerie saying that most workers at the Hillsboro plant had struck on April 3 against unfair labor practices, that charges were before the National Labor Relations Board, and that for ten weeks the company had refused offers to meet. In the union's account the company alone was to blame for the strike going on. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 27, 1957, p. 4
  8. An explosion and fire destroy the strikebound Reverie Lingerie plant On a Friday night an explosion and fire wrecked the Reverie Lingerie plant, ending the six-month strike and the jobs of about eighty workers. The paper counted a lost local payroll of about $173,000 a year. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 3, 1957, p. 1 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 1, 1960, p. 1
  9. The strike at Reverie Lingerie ends when the union stops paying strikers The strike that began at Reverie Lingerie in April ended in early November, when the union stopped paying the strikers, some six weeks after fire destroyed the plant. The county's development commission then called local business and civic leaders together to back a plan to restart limited sewing in the Midway Building Supply building west of Efland, enlarge it, and later build a permanent plant with local and state help. People: Don S. Matheson The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 21, 1957, p. 1
  10. Hillsborough citizens launch a $25,000 loan drive to rebuild Reverie Lingerie About 50 citizens met at the courthouse to hear a plan for a $75,000, 15,000-square-foot building for the burned-out Reverie Lingerie plant, to be paid for by the company ($15,000), the North Carolina Business Development Corporation ($35,000) and $25,000 in five percent loans from local people. Volunteers had pledged about $16,000 within a week, and backers said by December 4 that the goal was in sight. People: Don S. Matheson, Robert O. Forrest The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 28, 1957, p. 1
  11. The labor board hears union charges against Reverie Lingerie at the courthouse A National Labor Relations Board trial examiner held four days of hearings at the Hillsborough courthouse on the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union's charges that the strikebound and burned-out Reverie Lingerie company refused to bargain and intimidated union members. Union witnesses testified, over company objections, that a Reverie official had proposed using the influence of Johnny Dio and Jimmy Hoffa to reopen the plant; a ruling was expected in 60 to 90 days. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 23, 1958, p. 1
  12. The News of Orange County wins honorable mention for its Reverie strike story At the North Carolina Press Institute's midwinter meeting in Chapel Hill, the News of Orange County won honorable mention in the Piedmont Industries award for excellence in business writing for editor Edwin Hamlin's story on the Reverie Lingerie strike, the only weekly recognized among 55 entries. The judge, Vermont Royster of the Wall Street Journal, praised its clear account of the issues for the community. People: Vermont Royster The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 30, 1958, p. 1
Show all 17 dated events
  1. A labor board examiner finds Reverie Lingerie guilty of unfair labor practices National Labor Relations Board trial examiner Louis Libbin ruled that Reverie Lingerie had refused from March 28, 1957, to bargain in good faith with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and had threatened and coerced its Hillsboro workers, causing and prolonging the strike that began April 3, 1957. If the company reopened at Hillsboro it was to recognize the union and stop the coercion. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 20, 1958, p. 1
  2. Four men are indicted in the 1957 burning of the Reverie Lingerie plant Officers arrested men accused of the September 27, 1957, explosion and fire that destroyed the strikebound Reverie Lingerie plant at Hillsboro, and an Orange County grand jury indicted four of them, among them a representative of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union from Atlanta. Their trial was set for the late-September term of superior court. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 18, 1960, p. 1
  3. An Orange County jury convicts four men of arson and conspiracy in the Reverie plant fire After a three-day trial in Orange County Superior Court, a jury found four men, among them an ILGWU representative from Atlanta, guilty of burning the Reverie Lingerie plant. Judge Raymond Mallard sentenced them the next day to five to twelve years, and all appealed. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 6, 1960, p. 8 · Also: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 29, 1960, p. 1; The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 18, 1960, p. 1
  4. Reverie Lingerie sues the garment workers union and the four convicted men over its burned plant Reverie Lingerie, Inc., perfected a $1.7 million civil damage suit against the four men convicted of conspiracy and arson in the 1957 fire and against the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Depositions were taken in Hillsboro before commissioner William S. Stewart on October 17 and 18, while the defendants protested that the hearing was improperly served and should wait until the criminal cases were finished. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 20, 1960, p. 1
  5. Judge Bickett lets Reverie Lingerie's damage suits against the garment workers' union go forward Superior Court Judge William Y. Bickett denied defense motions to quash service in Reverie Lingerie's multi-million-dollar damage suits against the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and four of its agents. He ruled that the union was doing business in the state when the Hillsboro plant burned on September 27, 1957, so service through the Secretary of State was valid. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 28, 1962, p. 4

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Indexed works

The index has no works about Reverie Lingerie plant itself yet. The surveys and maps below cover where it stands. Search the index for Reverie Lingerie plant, or tell us about a book or record we have missed.

Surveys and maps of the area

Not about Reverie Lingerie plant alone: the architectural surveys that cover its town or the county, and maps drawn while it stood. Several of the surveys can be read free online at NC Digital Collections.

Hillsborough architectural survey

Slane, Heather Wagner · 2017 · hmwPreservation

Survey of Hillsborough's historic buildings by Heather Wagner Slane of hmwPreservation, completed in September 2017. The 40-page report covers the town's architecture and history with color illustrations and maps.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

NC Cardinal NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Time in place, place in time : history and sense of place in Hillsborough, North Carolina

Warren, Cheryl Davis · 2005

Cheryl Davis Warren's 2005 study of history and sense of place in Hillsborough, 216 leaves with illustrations, maps and a bibliography. Written as human geography, it treats the town's past alongside its social conditions and the ways residents understand where they live.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

UNC

Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.

Start at OCPL

    Where to look on the shelf

    These books don’t necessarily mention Reverie Lingerie plant, but they cover where it stands, its kind of building and the land, family and burial records behind it, and they are where a search for a place like this usually goes next. All are at OCPL, most in the Wall Collection.

    Histories of the town and county

    • Start here · NC 975.656 LLO History of the Town of Hillsborough, 1754-1982 Lloyd, Allen Alexander · 1983

      A 1982 revision of Allen Alexander Lloyd's history of Hillsborough, now written with Pauline O. Lloyd and carried forward from the town's founding in 1754 to 1982. Published in Hillsborough by A. A. Lloyd, 310 pages with illustrations and a bibliography.

    • Rebecca Wall Collection · NC 975.656 HOLADAY Hillsborough Holaday, Chris · 2002

      J. Chris Holaday's Images of America volume on Hillsborough (Arcadia, 2002), built mostly from photographs and postcards. Chapters cover homes, churches and schools, business and industry, local people, scenes around town, and sports, entertainment and events.

    • Foundational · 975.656 RYAN Orange County Trio: Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro, North Carolina, Histories and Tour Guides Ryan, Elizabeth Shreve · 2004

      Elizabeth Shreve Ryan's combined histories and tour guides for Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the three towns of Orange County, with the University of North Carolina treated alongside Chapel Hill. Each town gets a narrative history and a tour of its streets and buildings. Published by Chapel Hill Press in 2004, 369 pages with illustrations and maps.

    Buildings and surveys

    • Foundational · NC 720.975 BIS A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina Bishir, Catherine W. · 2003

      Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern's field guide to the historic buildings of the North Carolina Piedmont, arranged county by county from Wake and Franklin in the east to Mecklenburg and Gaston in the west. The Orange County section takes in Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro along with the rural county, with entries on individual buildings and maps for finding them. Published 2003, 596 pages with illustrations and maps.

    • Foundational · NC 720.975 HILLSBOR Hillsborough Historic District Inventory 2006

      An inventory of the buildings in the Hillsborough Historic District, dated 2006. It concerns historic buildings and the buildings and structures of Hillsborough. Useful for anyone checking a particular property in the town's historic district.

    • Start here · NC 720.975 BEL Photocensus: A Photographic Survey of Buildings in the Hillsborough, N.C. Historic District Built Before 1950 Bellinger, Susan McArtor · 1991

      Susan McArtor Bellinger's photographic survey of the buildings in the Hillsborough Historic District put up before 1950, self-published in Hillsborough in 1991. Arranged as a guidebook, it records houses and other structures in photographs. 142 pages with illustrations.

    Show 1 more
    • Rebecca Wall Collection · 917.565 DUL The Pelican Guide to Hillsborough, Historic Orange County, North Carolina Dula, Lucile Noell · 1989

      Lucile Noell Dula's guidebook to Hillsborough and its historic buildings, published by Pelican in 1989. It pairs a tour of the town with notes on its history, in 128 illustrated pages with a bibliography. Part of the Wall Local History Collection.

    Land, family and burial records

    • Foundational · NC 333.3 DUNAWAY Hillsborough, North Carolina History of Town Lots: The Complete Reference Guide Dunaway, Stewart E. · 2013

      Stewart E. Dunaway worked through Hillsborough, N.C., lot by lot, giving each town lot a synopsis of its history, a plat showing where it sits and transcripts of the deeds he could locate for it. The second issue runs to 720 pages with illustrations, maps and facsimiles.

    • Rebecca Wall Collection · NC 333.3 DUNAWAY Hillsborough, North Carolina History of Town Lots: Addendum 2015 Dunaway, Stewart E. · 2015

      Stewart E. Dunaway's 2015 addendum to his history of Hillsborough's town lots, adding deed records arranged by lot number and further town history, with the expansion of the 1890s covered for the first time. Self-published in North Carolina as version 1.0, 446 pages with illustrations, facsimiles and maps. Topics include deeds, court records, land titles and real property in Hillsborough.

    • Foundational · NC 333.3 IND An Index to the Town Lots of Hillsborough: Orange County, North Carolina 1982

      An index to the town lots of Hillsborough, Orange County, compiled in 1982 as a guide to the deeds and court records that trace each lot's ownership.

    Research sources

    Sources cited in this site’s history, National Register documents, and places to get research help. Research guide: Research a business or a changing street.

    Background

    Historic sites, markers, and maps

    Records of the time 19

    Show all 19

    Collections and databases

    Local help 5

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