Historic Drexel Rail Site Readies For Its Next Chapter in North Carolina
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In its heyday, the original Drexel Furniture factory employed hundreds of people. Most were from the North Carolina public power Town of Drexel.
They manufactured furniture for folks in homes and businesses in the U.S. and overseas, including in American embassies and government offices all over the world, according to the “Encyclopedia of North Carolina.”
“It kept our little town alive,” says Drexel Town Manager Sherri Bradshaw. Drexel, a small town of 1,760 is located within a larger metro area of some 366,000 according to U.S. Census data.
?When industry changes forced the factory to close in the late 1990s, Drexel residents were left without its crucial support—and with an eyesore of a site, some of which was environmentally contaminated.
For some communities, that would have been the sad end of it. But not for Drexel.
“I know that site’s history and what it has been,” Sherri said.
That means she also knows its potential. So does Alan Wood, President & CEO of Burke Development, Inc., along with representatives from other local organizations who are helping push along the site’s redevelopment.
About seven years and nearly $5 million in grants later, the 100-acre site—these days referred to as the Butler Hill Site—is expected to be ready around mid-2024. With cleanup complete, installing infrastructure, including the Town of Drexel’s electricity, water, sewer, and natural gas services, is underway.