SALISBURY N.C. dateless circular datestamp with type A PAID (no rate) on pristine brown envelope to Mess. R. Bridgers & Co. Iron PO NC with “OB” (Official Business) at upper left. $170.

Brothers Robert Rufus Bridgers and John Luther Bridgers managed the North Carolina iron furnaces and rolling mills. High Shoals Iron Works operated in Gaston, Lincoln, and Cleveland counties. These mills were second only to Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond in importance during the Civil War. For primary documents, ledgers, and original correspondence from the Bridgers brothers and their iron manufacturing operations, you can consult the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Southern Historical Collection.