What 2 Brothers Started in NC in 1905 Is No More

Moses and Ceasar Cone founded their denim brand in the late 19th century, and in 1905 opened the Cone Denim White Oak plant in Greensboro, NC. 

Within three years, it was churning out more denim than anywhere else in the world, reports the Triad City Beat; in its heyday, White Oak clocked in at 1.6 million square feet, making it the world's largest such plant and the long-time supplier of denim for Levi's 501 jeans. 

After a 112-year run, what the New York Times calls a "shrine to bluejeans and the last major manufacturer of selvage denim" in America will close Dec. 31 (the company does have plants in Mexico and China); current owner International Textile Group made the announcement, which affects 208 workers, in October. Though the plant does employ modern looms, it also made denim the "right" and "painstaking" way, per the Times.

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