Many industries have brought employment to Transylvania County residents over time. One such industry was the American Thread plant in the Calvert area of Transylvania County near the Rosman Highway.

American Thread was a cotton thread producer which began in 1898 and had multiple locations across the southeast United States. The Calvert plant was opened in 1965 and grew to eventually provide over 300 jobs to the area.

The plant was built in 1965 and was celebrated as a “modern facility” on a 50 acre tract created from lands once belonging to local Thomas Hooper as well as the State of North Carolina. Further research revealed that the site was at or on the location of the former Calvert Prison Camp, which explains why the State owned the land previously.

A January 17, 1963 Transylvania Times article jokingly asked, “Want to buy a Prison camp cheap?”, suggesting that the land was not only suitable for an industrial site due to the location and large, unbroken parcel of land, but also because it was affordable, as the State sought to complete their use of the land and move on to other projects.

Once the American Thread plant was built, the company decided to give it the official title of the Sylvan Plant, to distinguish it from other sites in their network. The company whirred along, providing jobs for many until 1991 when the company was acquired by competitor Coats & Clark Incorporated. With this new acquisition, the company became Coats American, but was still operational and providing jobs for the community.

Sadly, the branch of the company only lasted for about a decade under its new name, closing in 2003. Many other industrial businesses in Transylvania County were closing during this era as well, and it was a hard hit to the local economy.

Unlike some of the other industries which never returned, however, the American Thread building only sat idle for about two years before it was bought by the Excelsior Packaging Group of New York in 2005. The company brought over 100 jobs back to help produce flexible packaging, such as frozen food bags.

The company has expanded over time and added more jobs in 2014, though under a slightly different name. New Excelsior, a division of Sigma Plastics Group, continues to produce flexible packaging and provide jobs for Transylvanians.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. Sources available upon request. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.