COMMUNITY CHARACTER
Ann Brownlee Hobgood - One Man’s Junk is Another Woman’s Treasure By Sherry Johnson
A
nn Brownlee Hobgood grew up in Winston-Salem. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in studio art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and for many years owned a yarn
shop in the Chapel Hill area. She designed needlepoint patterns by hand and sold them
to supplement the income from her store. Her patterns were purchased by both Neiman Marcus and Better Homes & Gardens in the past. In 1999, she bought an abandoned house in the Glencoe Mill Village in Burlington from Preservation North Carolina, who purchased the entire property in 1997. The site had been abandoned since 1954, and all the mill homes were in severe disrepair and decay. Today, all but two of the original 32 homes have been renovated and restored to their former state. Several new homes have also been built under strict historical guidelines
on
vacant
lots
where homes once stood. The mill itself is being renovated a section at a time and once the property is finished, local preservationists dream of a museum village where visitors can learn about textiles' influence in the postwar South. Many Southerners have ancestors who worked in the textile industry, and Glencoe's authenticity and its location close to major transportation links will enhance its popularity as a destination.
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burlington magazine