The railroad depot stood along the main track of the Winston-to-Charlotte line that later became part of the Southern Railroad. With early roads little more than rutted dirt wagon trails, a modern cotton mill could not bring in materials or ship out finished cloth without trains. A spur-line that ran parallel to the river connected the Junction to the mill. When needed, locomotives pulled cars, including large coal shipments. (Courtesy of Textile Heritage Center at Cooleemee.)