Oral history interview with Johnnie Jones, August 27, 1976

Johnnie Jones started working at the Pomona Terracotta Factory in Greensboro, NC, when he was fourteen, doing odd jobs despite the objections of his father, an employee there. Jones spent his career in the factory, applying his keen mechanical mind to making sewer pipes and performing maintenance. In this interview, Jones describes some of his experiences at the factory, including some of the details of his tasks, workplace accidents, the arrival of unions, and his relationships with his fellow employees. Jones is an interesting character with a great deal of confidence in his problem-solving ability, but this interview is not particularly rich. Researchers may, however, find useful material in his description of the terracotta production process and the portrait Jones paints of himself.