Gaston County had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s; it was claimed that during that era there were over one hundred textile, or "cotton," mills in Gastonia alone. The proliferation of the flight of the industry to other countries depleted that situation greatly, but in the author's youth it was a thriving area. The annual county fair, located in nearby Lowell, was entitled the "Spindle Center Fair," a reference to the cylinder on spinning frames in those mills; this cylinder was known as a bobbin, or "spindle."
It was a time of prosperity, mills running 24/7, three shifts year-round; virtually all of them would shut down, or "stand," the week of the Fourth of July. Many of the short stories in
Spindle Center Tales
were set in that era and location.
About the Author
Dave Huffstetler has been writing seriously for fourteen years. He graduated from Appalachian State University in 1977 with a BS in English. After college he began work as a construction laborer, matriculating to carpenter, general contractor, and real estate broker, and in the last nineteen years of his career he toiled as a city building inspector.
He is presently retired and living in Raleigh. He grew up outside Dallas, North Carolina, on a small farm. A good portion of his writings involve his experiences growing up in rural Gaston County and all the people he encountered. His writings span free verse poetry, novellas, many short stories, and one novel. He has said that he is particularly indebted to his family.