“Through various civic activities, [Charles F.] Cates had made the friendship of John Sprunt Hill, an attorney in Durham…. Desiring to do something for his native community of Faison [in Duplin County], Hill persuaded Cates to move his pickle operation there [from Swepsonville in Alamance County], and local farmers were soon persuaded to begin growing the variety of cucumber best for pickling….”
— From Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Cates entry by Charles M. Ingram
John Sprunt Hill, catalyst for the North Carolina pickle industry!
In 1989 Dean Foods Co. bought Cates & Sons, but the Charles F. and Howard Cates Farm, also known as Swathmoor Farm, remains — a historic farm complex and national historic district in Alamance County.