Avondale Mills will close its Sibley Mill facility in June.

The closing of the 130-year-old mill along the Augusta Canal will result in 115 lost jobs.

"It really breaks my heart, but it's really something where we didn't have a choice," said Stephen Felker Jr., Avondale Mills' manager of corporate development.

Mr. Felker said the closing is mainly the result of financial pressures from intense foreign competition, namely China.

He also said the company's finances are still reeling from the January 2005 Norfolk Southern train wreck that damaged its Graniteville facilities and claimed nine lives - including six of its workers.

"This train wreck continues to plague us and increase our costs and has really done some damage to our business," he said.

The facility processed denim fabric woven at Avondale plants in Aiken County. Mr. Felker said employees and labor officials were notified of the closing last week. The facility will close by June 28.

Affected workers will be offered employment at other Avondale facilities in South Carolina and Alabama, though Mr. Felker said he does not expect many workers will relocate.

The mill, a relic of Augusta's foray into the industrial age, was built in 1880 on the former site of the Confederate Powderworks. A chimney in front is the only surviving remnant of the Civil War-era structure. Sibley Mill was acquired by Monroe, Ga.-based Avondale when it purchased The Graniteville Co. in 1996.

Mr. Felker said he does not yet know whether the property will be placed on the market or mothballed.

"It's really too early to tell right now," he said. "We're most focused on the people."

Employees gathered outside the Sibley Mill gates said morale at the facility has been low since last week's announcement. One man who identified himself as 26-year employee said the workload had fallen off in recent years.

"It's been going down for a while. That's all I have to say," said the man, who would not give his name.

Marie Beasley, the wife of a longtime Avondale employee, said she is hoping most of the workers can either get transferred or retire.

"I just feel sorry for the people losing jobs," she said. "I'm just glad my husband has a job right now."

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