This collection includes correspondence, ledgers, production records, employee records, photographs, fabric samples, and other items documenting the history of the town and plant from their creation in the eary 1900s to the close of the mill in 1988.

Series I. Company Files and Series II. Correspondence mainly document the day-to-day running of the mill, highlighting relationships with other local and national businesses in fields such as textiles, factory machinery, coal, insurance, and construction. These records also illustrate some aspects of the lives of the mill employees.

Series III. Financial Records document the more quantifiable aspect of the business through invoices, pay records, and account balance books, showing the health and trajectory of the company over time.

Series IV. Personnel Records convey the activity of the mill by recording the number of each type of employee, how much they worked, and when, as well as some glimpses into the personal lives of the mill workers.

Series V. Production Materials more concretely illustrate the output of the mill through fabric samples and reports of production versus cost over time.

Series VI. Legal Records show how the mill grew and evolved over time in relation to the community in which it operated.

Series VII. Blueprints show how the mill buildings themselves were conceived, built, and changed from 1900-1974, when the last major renovations were completed. Series VIII. Illustrations, ca. 1970s-1980s, n.d., includes photographs from the Fries plant and town of Fries, primarily of employees and events, and one oversize drawing with images of the Washington Mills Plants in Fries, Virginia, and in North Carolina.