Come see a small town with a textile industry operated by both local individuals and national companies.


Before the textile industry, local farmers and businessmen worked together to create a thriving economy built on cotton in Hogansville. Merchants, such as Frank Word, created the Ford Word’s cotton warehouse, located near the railroad, to ship the cotton sold there across the state. Ford’s cotton warehouse allowed local cotton farmers to sell their products to a wider audience.

In 1899, Word and northern investors established the Hogansville Manufacturing Company. From the beginning, Hogansville Manufacturing was controlled by national corporations which used it to produce cotton duck. The mill changed ownership under these national corporations several times within the coming decades. In 1923, the Hogansville Manufacturing Company’s owner, the New England Southern Mills, relocated the Stark Mills of New Hampshire to Hogansville. Stark Mills produced cotton cord for rubber tires for the growing automobile industry.

Both mills were sold to Callaway Mills in late 1920s. They sold the Stark Mill to U. S. Rubber, but kept the old Hogansville Manufacturing mill and operated under the name of Hogansville Calumet. During World War II, U.S. Rubber purchased the original Hogansville Manufacturing Company to facilitate wartime production. They renamed it Reid Mill after a long time superintendent of the mill. Stark Mills became one of the few factories in the nation to produce woven asbestos pipe insulation for the U.S. Navy. The Reid Mill shut down during the 1960s and was demolished soon afterward, but the Stark Mill continued production. During the 1980s and 1990s, Stark Mill became Uniroyal and today is in operation under Westech. The surrounding Stark mill village is still a visible reminder of the area’s textile history.


Visit


Things to Do

  • Main Street Market, 100 East Main Street: The historic train station and freight depot in downtown Hogansville has been redeveloped. At one time it was the collections point for cotton from miles around. From here, the cotton would be shipped to the major manufacturing centers along the Trail, in the North, or abroad. It now houses a coffeehouse and a pub, as well as serving as an events space.

Places to See

The following properties are not open to the public, but you can view them from the exterior to learn more about the buildings that supported the textile industry here.

  • Stark Mill/Industrial Specialty Fabrics and Stark/Reid Mill Village, 117 Corinth Road: This historic mill was built by US Rubber after it acquired the neighboring Reid mill from Callaway Mills in the early 1940s. Today it operates as a division of Continental Tires. The town of Hogansville was not big enough to house the workforce that was necessary when Hogansville Manufacturing commenced operations. This forced the company to build a village to house their employees. These homes often fit into a traditional set of styles, the most common of which is the hipped roof home. Other types include the shotgun house and the duplex. Employees rented the homes from the company, and the village was likely expanded to accommodate employees for the newly built Reid Mill in the 1940s.

History


Explore this community’s history via the drop-down sections below!


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Resources to Explore

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