In 1789, the first permanent settlement (in the current area of Hope Mills) was organized by Little Rockfish Creek. By the mid-1800s the first cotton factory was opened on Little Rockfish Creek. A decade later, this factory was the second largest mill in North Carolina. Over the next 50 years, several other mills were built as the textile industry flourished, so did the Rockfish Factory Village. A story and houses were built for the families that worked the mills. The town of Hope Mills was incorporated in 1891.