Charlotte Pipe and Foundry

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry chairman Roddy Dowd commissioned the Museum of the New South (now the Levine Museum of the New South) to conduct this oral history project in 1993, which provides a snapshot into the history and culture of the company from the 1920s to the 1990s. Personnel director Earl Raborn chose the subjects for the interviews and assisted the interviewer, Peter Felkner, in all but one interview, so these interviews may not fully represent the perspectives of all employees. Founded in 1901, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry started out as a local cast iron piping business. Over time the company grew to become a leading manufacturer in the piping industry nationwide. These oral histories reflect the perspective of both blue collar workers and company executives whose work at Charlotte Pipe and Foundry was shaped and altered by technological innovations and changes in production over time.