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In 1901, F. H. Fries, of North Carolina, chose the site that would later bear his name as the location for a cotton mill. Again the river played a part, because New River was required to generate the power for this new industry. Thus, a dam was constructed at Bartlett's Falls on New River.
Huge logs were haul from the mountains, boulders were quarried from the river banks, and bricks were made near the site for the construction of the dam.
The construction of the dam and the cotton mill made the construction of three hundred houses necessary. These houses served the workers of the new industry.
A post office, a company store and other businesses followed. This was followed by a railroad spur.
The town of Fries was incorporated in 1902, and a mayor-council form of government was established.Within the years that followed, Washington Mills built a school, a bank, and a Y.M.C.A. The new towns population soon organized and built churches.The people of Fries, throughout the years, have remained close-knit and community oriented.
Even though the Washington Mills and the railroad ceased operation several years ago, the people of Fries have not given up the cause, and continue to fight for the survival of their community.
Fries is located on Virginia Highway 94 on the banks of the New River and in the borders of Carroll and Grayson counties.The town's only industry, Mount Vernon Mills, closed in 1989.
The mill was sold in
2000 and is now being taken down.
The Birth of Fries
The people living along the banks of the New River, near Bartlett Falls, in Grayson County, were as rugged as the mountains around them.The living was hard on these remote farms and pay days were irregular. The time was the turn of the century when all over the South, rivers and streams were being use to produce power for cotton mills built along their banks.
Jim "Pipe" Carico, living along New River, had a dream. He could see the waters of the New River as a power source for a cotton mill. He knew a weekly wage would enhance the quality of life for his friends and neighbors.
Carico had heard about the Fries (pronounced Freeze) family in Salem, NC (Now Winston Salem, NC). The family had constructed and operated cotton mills aloung the Mayo River. He learned that Col. Francis Fries had business interest in Mount Airy, NC. He contacted Col. Fries about his dream. Some say he wrote to Col. Fries others say he went to Mount Airy, NC to meet him.
Col. Fries came to this mountainous area riding an ox cart over rutted mountain roads from Mount Airy. He rode a train to Mount Airy. Upon his arrival, he inspected the land along the river.
He liked what he saw. He began to buy land and in 1900, construction began on a town, on a mill and on a 39 foot dam, at Bartlett Falls. It took an "Act of Congress" to obtain a permit to construct a dam on New River.
By 1901 a railroad came into the area.This was important element of manufacturing, because products had to be shipped in and out. The rails also expanded the farmers ability to market their produce and live stock. The passenger cars were busy too. Southwestern Virginians along the banks of New River had a link to the outside world.
With a railroad the town needed a post office and a name. The post office serving the area was in Stevens Creek, a small community outside the town. The post office was moved to the under construction town. Col. Fries wanted to name the town Carrico, Va. In fact, the first Company letterheads read, "Washington Mills Company, Carico, Va." Local politicians prevailed and the town became Fries, Va. For more than 80 years Washington Mills Company was the largest tax payer in Grayson County.
Before Fries became a town, there was a Methodist Minister in the area, supported by the Methodist Board of Missions. This was the begining of the Fries United Methodist Church. The Fries church was formally organized in 1902.
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