By Charlie Hutson

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Back in the early 1960s, Lafollette city leaders were busy trying to obtain funding and property for a new shirt factory building.

Land was acquired on the very east end of the Lafollette city limits. Once the funding came through, local contractor Pennington & Mackebee began construction.

The new facility was fully modern for the time.  It included air conditioning, a conveyor system in the shipping department and a cafeteria to name a few.

The building was completed in 1965 becoming the new home for the Imperial Shirt Company Lafollette Division. The picture shows grade work had been done and the steel framing going up around 1963.

Today, the structure houses DeRoyal. DeRoyal is a global medical manufacturer and has been in business since 1973. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 10/14/2021-6AM)