Warren C. Coleman (1849-1904) was the illegitimate son of Rufus C. Barringer (later a Confederate general) and Roxanna Coleman, a slave. From meager beginnings, he rose to become the wealthiest black man in the state by the 1890s. He began his business career in 1871 collecting rags, bones, and junk. Soon he started a combination barber shop and candy store in Concord. Coleman parlayed that into a large real estate and mercantile trade. He was a leader in the North Carolina Industrial Association, formed in 1888 to help black-owned businesses. With his statewide contacts and a belief in the self-help philosophy of Booker T. Washington, Coleman in 1897 sought partners to incorporate his own textile factory.
Coleman's partners were the state's "black elite" and included James Walker Hood, John C. Dancy, Edward A. Johnson, and other lawyers, physicians, and college presidents. Though predominantly black-owned, the company had some white backers, notably Julian S. Carr and Benjamin N. Duke. Carr attended the 1898 cornerstone laying ceremony, at which Congressman George H. White was the main speaker. Equipment testing began in late 1898 and full production of cotton yarn a year later. The mill at its peak employed 300 black workers. At the 1900 Exposition Universal in Paris, France, the factory was billed as "the only Negro cotton mill in the U.S." Industry-wide economic troubles forced Coleman to resign in December 1903. Benjamin N. Duke foreclosed on the mortgage in April 1904. Later a section of the mill built by Coleman was operated as Plant No. 9 of Cannon Mills Company.
The city of Concord,NC has designated NC Hwy 601 Bypass as Warren C. Coleman Blvd. He was married to Jane Coleman.
Coleman's partners were the state's "black elite" and included James Walker Hood, John C. Dancy, Edward A. Johnson, and other lawyers, physicians, and college presidents. Though predominantly black-owned, the company had some white backers, notably Julian S. Carr and Benjamin N. Duke. Carr attended the 1898 cornerstone laying ceremony, at which Congressman George H. White was the main speaker. Equipment testing began in late 1898 and full production of cotton yarn a year later. The mill at its peak employed 300 black workers. At the 1900 Exposition Universal in Paris, France, the factory was billed as "the only Negro cotton mill in the U.S." Industry-wide economic troubles forced Coleman to resign in December 1903. Benjamin N. Duke foreclosed on the mortgage in April 1904. Later a section of the mill built by Coleman was operated as Plant No. 9 of Cannon Mills Company.
The city of Concord,NC has designated NC Hwy 601 Bypass as Warren C. Coleman Blvd. He was married to Jane Coleman.
Warren C. Coleman (1849-1904) was the illegitimate son of Rufus C. Barringer (later a Confederate general) and Roxanna Coleman, a slave. From meager beginnings, he rose to become the wealthiest black man in the state by the 1890s. He began his business career in 1871 collecting rags, bones, and junk. Soon he started a combination barber shop and candy store in Concord. Coleman parlayed that into a large real estate and mercantile trade. He was a leader in the North Carolina Industrial Association, formed in 1888 to help black-owned businesses. With his statewide contacts and a belief in the self-help philosophy of Booker T. Washington, Coleman in 1897 sought partners to incorporate his own textile factory.
Coleman's partners were the state's "black elite" and included James Walker Hood, John C. Dancy, Edward A. Johnson, and other lawyers, physicians, and college presidents. Though predominantly black-owned, the company had some white backers, notably Julian S. Carr and Benjamin N. Duke. Carr attended the 1898 cornerstone laying ceremony, at which Congressman George H. White was the main speaker. Equipment testing began in late 1898 and full production of cotton yarn a year later. The mill at its peak employed 300 black workers. At the 1900 Exposition Universal in Paris, France, the factory was billed as "the only Negro cotton mill in the U.S." Industry-wide economic troubles forced Coleman to resign in December 1903. Benjamin N. Duke foreclosed on the mortgage in April 1904. Later a section of the mill built by Coleman was operated as Plant No. 9 of Cannon Mills Company.
The city of Concord,NC has designated NC Hwy 601 Bypass as Warren C. Coleman Blvd. He was married to Jane Coleman.
Coleman's partners were the state's "black elite" and included James Walker Hood, John C. Dancy, Edward A. Johnson, and other lawyers, physicians, and college presidents. Though predominantly black-owned, the company had some white backers, notably Julian S. Carr and Benjamin N. Duke. Carr attended the 1898 cornerstone laying ceremony, at which Congressman George H. White was the main speaker. Equipment testing began in late 1898 and full production of cotton yarn a year later. The mill at its peak employed 300 black workers. At the 1900 Exposition Universal in Paris, France, the factory was billed as "the only Negro cotton mill in the U.S." Industry-wide economic troubles forced Coleman to resign in December 1903. Benjamin N. Duke foreclosed on the mortgage in April 1904. Later a section of the mill built by Coleman was operated as Plant No. 9 of Cannon Mills Company.
The city of Concord,NC has designated NC Hwy 601 Bypass as Warren C. Coleman Blvd. He was married to Jane Coleman.
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