July 20, 2019 marks 50 years since we first walked on the moon. All week long, we've watched the old footage, we even looked at how WFMY News 2 covered it--we sent a "newsman" and a "cameraman" to Kennedy Space Center.
In our newsroom, we have the 16mm film reels and the scripts from that week. And North Carolina has a claim to the first mission to the moon.
"I'm convinced, totally, that the material for the flag was woven across the river behind my back in this plant." Roy Whisnant worked at the Burlington Industrial Fabrics plant for more than 20 years.
The town of Rhodhiss stakes this claim to fame with several signs and markers-- telling travelers the US moon flags are woven here.
Unfortunately, the company does not have documentation proving where the flag was made. But a family member of one of the workers saved a newsletter. In it, Burlington Industries gave an account of how the moon flag was woven from fabric from their Rhodhiss plant.