a period of transition

1600 Woolen Mills Road, "Mr. Nick" Gianniny's house

We have already noted that small pre-war textile mills outside New England generally marketed a coarse grade of cloth for home consumption and processed wool for home weaving under a primitive barter system. This pattern was for a short period continued after 1869 by the Charlottesville Woolen Mills. Soon, however, satinets, kerseys, flannels, and smooth doeskin cassimeres flowed from the factory. But except for the appearance of fine cassimeres, these fabrics were typical products of mills oriented toward a rural economy. Actually, the seventies proved to be a period of transition, with the Charlottesville plant swinging slowly into the manufacture of finer cloths and a widely diversified output.
--Harry Poindexter