Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Kevin Combs, May 20, 2020 (Ms2019-045)

Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Oral History with Kevin Combs, May 20, 2020 (Ms2019-045)

Kevin Combs grew up just outside of Fries, Va., and spent his summers working in the mill as a doffer. His family has history with the town, as his grandfather was the minister of the Baptist Church until 1945, and his father similarly grew up in the town and worked in the mill. Now a resident of North Carolina, Combs is a photographer and has a project dedicated to Fries.

In this interview, Combs discusses his experiences working in the mill and growing up in Fries. At the end, he discusses the ways the town changed after the mill shut down and his ideas to revitalize the town.

Permission to publish material from the Fries Textile Mill Oral Histories Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.

Ms2019-045_KevinCombs

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Virginia Tech

Bess Pittman

Kevin Combs

00:42:10