On 100.33 acres of rising land overlooking the Mayo River, Norfolk & Southern Railway, and the
new mill, the town of Avalon was born. Avalon was named by W.C. Ruffin. Ruffin, the first mayor
of Mayodan, had recently married Mary Greene and had honeymooned with her in California. While there,
they visited a small, beautiful town on Catalina Island named Avalon. Ruffin was so impressed
with its beauty he suggested the name "Avalon" for the new town.
In 1898 J.J. Vaden, who owned a house on the land, along with a grist mill, began boarding many
of the workmen employed to build the mill, canal, dam, and houses for the new town. An 11-room
hotel was soon built to accommodate overseers and executives of the project. The hotel was also
run by Mr. Vaden.
The original street plan provided 62 lots for immediate use with ample space to double the size
of the town. In March of 1900, the town had 20 cottages and a store. The Vaden house was located
at the center of the town. With the mill in full operation, the town continued to grow. A Moravian
Church, as well as many new houses, were built. Most of the houses had fenced-in yards. Several
of the more affluent families had cows, and nearly every family owned pigs and chickens. In an effort
at landscaping, shrubs and flowers were found in most yards, and trees were planted along the
streets of town and walkway down to the mill.
The store, which was the only brick building in town, and houses were all Company owned.
Mill employees responded to the ring of a silver-toned bell at the beginning and end of each
workday. The children of Avalon went to school there, and for recreation walked the two miles to
Mayodan to enjoy its skating rink. The town had no electricity, so the children were held responsible
for keeping the oil lamps burning.
Behind the mill and across the river was a community called Bentontown. The few residents of
Bentontown were employed at the Avalon Mill and therefore had to cross the river to get to work.
Thanks to the ingenuity of Eugene Benton, for whom the town was named, a "cable car" across the
river was built. The cable car was connected to two cables that stretched across the river. Using
the cables, a person would pull himself across the river in the cable car, a metal box large enough
for two people. The metal box was tooled in the machine shop at the mill.
In 1908 telephones were installed in a few houses at Avalon. There was still no electricity or
running water, but residents placed pumps over several wells to furnish water for the town. A doctor
named Thomas Whitmill Davis traveled from Mayodan to Avalon between 1901-1906 and served as the
only physician. In 1906, Dr. George Harrison took his place, still traveling from Mayodan to
serve the residents of Avalon.
Avalon was a close-knit town, and small enough that everyone knew everyone else. Most Avalonians
either worked all day at the mill or stayed home, caring for their children and tending to the
household chores. On Sundays they attended the Moravian Church services. There was
an Avalon baseball team formed from men who were mill employees. A picnic area was built along
the banks of the river so the people of the town could socialize. This picnic area was used in early
June, 1911, for the first time, and sadly this was also the last time.
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