Telling Stories, Connecting Communities

Tag: Douglas

Douglasville

The textile industry quickly followed the arrival of the railroad, which allowed the mills to ship goods in and out of town, in this small southern community.

As with many other communities, Douglasville saw a rise in industry roll in with the new railroads. The first textile mill, New Eden Mill, was established here in 1895; it soon burned down, was rebuilt, and eventually reopened as Lois Mill. This mill featured an innovative design that allowed for more windows which, in turn, allowed for more light and better ventilation for mill workers.


Visit


Things to Do

  • Douglas County Museum of History and Art, 12431 East Veterans Memorial Highway: This museum is located in the historic Douglas County Courthouse and houses an archive of local history. The new Douglas County Courthouse was opened in 1998, leaving this location destined for sale and disposal; however, the Douglas County Tourism and History Commission persuaded the saving of this location. Their hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.
  • Mill Village Park, 8320 Grady Street: This city park is on property that was once a part of Lois Mil and Beaver Mills mill village. The 3-acre park features an outdoor basketball court, a pavilion, playground equipment, grills, and picnic tables.

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.

  • Lois Mill Village, 12171 GA-5: The Lois Mill/Beaver Mills building is no longer standing, and the homes in this area are private and not accessible to the public. However, you can still drive through the mill village, located east of downtown Douglasville near Fairburn Road (Highway 92).
  • Douglasville Knitting Mill Village: The Douglasville Knitting Mill was required to build houses to shelter their employees. A handful of those houses remain across Highway 92 from the mill site.

History


As a railroad town, Douglasville was a hub for transportation for both goods and people from its inception. As such, cotton from the surrounding region was brought to gins and warehouses in Douglasville, from where it would be shipped off to the mills. This photo shows two men working with freshly ginned cotton in the early 1920s. Photo Courtesy of the Douglas County Museum of History and Art.

Douglasville, established in 1870, like many postbellum Georgia towns soon saw industry and commerce arrive with the railroad. The city’s textile industry flourished with the construction of the Georgia Western Railroad from Atlanta to Birmingham in 1883, which passed through Douglasville. Mills, plants, and shops were built along the rail line, including cotton mills New Eden Mill and Douglas Knitting Mill.

Constructed in 1895, New Eden Mill was Douglasville’s first textile operation; however, the new mill burned soon after completion. Reconstruction of the cotton mill began in January of 1898. Ownership was unstable during the construction with a series of buyouts and the business was known as Georgia Western Cotton Mill and New Century Cotton Mill over the next decade. The completed cotton mill reopened in 1908 as Lois Mill.

Postcard depicting the Lois Cotton Mills during the early 20th century. Photo courtesy of the Douglas County Museum of History and Art.

Lois Cotton Mill featured an innovative industrial design by Charles Paray. The mill’s external walls were comprised of alternating ridged and grooved walls sometimes described as “zigzag” walls.  The design allowed many windows in the exterior walls, providing better lighting and ventilation for mill workers. The building also incorporated two foundations for easier repair in case of fire. Lois Mill produced printed cloth in its early years, manufactured on 20,000 ring spindles and 500 looms. The company established a mill village for the workers, including small frame houses along Grady and Copper Streets, now home to Mill Village Park.

By the 1930s, Beaver Mills of Massachusetts purchased Lois Cotton Mill, and the company became part of Beaver’s broad network of cotton manufacturing across the South. Each week workers used 75 bales of cotton to produce over 17 tons of cotton products including broadcloth, a type of clothing fabric. The company shipped 90% of the cloth produced in Douglasville to other Beaver Mills locations outside Georgia for finishing and sold the final products through a New York company.

Employees in Beaver-Lois Mill unionized in 1933 with the United Textile Workers of America. Many of those workers participated in the General Textile Strike of 1934, which closed the mill for four weeks. The strike proved unsuccessful for employees, but continued union efforts led to the closing of the mill again in 1935. When it reopened, workers faced lower wages and increased workloads, leading to continued labor unrest through the 1940s. The mill closed and sat empty for many years before it burned in 2012.

Douglasville’s textile history is remembered today through the commerce it brought to its community. Like many communities along the trail, textile-manufacturing companies wove their way into communities due to the railroad. Georgia Western Railroad aided this community by shipping cotton and cloth in and out to communities all over Georgia and into major markets. Lois Mill sold some of their goods to Gilreath Manufacturing Company who used Lois Mill cloth to produce coats. Along the trail, you will find many stories of how textiles influenced each community but Douglasville’s textile history is unique because of its innovative textile manufacturing structure, Lois Mill. Though the building is no longer present today, its impact will forever be felt in this thriving city through the commerce it helped to create.


Charter Trail Members

Resources to Explore

Click on the following links to learn more about this region.


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Email the Trail at wgtht@westga.edu or visit our Contact Us page for more information.

Lithia Springs

This community’s textile industry was both early and short-lived with its only mill being burned down during the Civil War.

Starting early compared to other communities, Lithia Springs’ first textile mill was massive and opened in 1849. This mill was burned down during the Civil War and was never reconstructed. The surrounding area is currently a state park.


Visit


Things to Do

  • Sweetwater Creek State Park Visitors Center, 1750 Mount Vernon Road: Those who visit the Visitors Center will find everything that they need to hike the trails that run throughout the park. The Visitor’s Center also features exhibits and wildlife displays.

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.

  • New Manchester Mill Ruins, Sweetwater State Park: In an effort to preserve the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, the interior of the ruins is not open to the public. The ruins can still be viewed from the outside.

History


  • Sweetwater Creek State Park New Manchester Mill Ruins
    Sweetwater Creek State Park New Manchester Mill Ruins. Photo courtesy: Kymberli Darling

Sweetwater Factory began operations in 1849. Natural resources from the surrounding area were used to build the mill. When the mill was completed, the Sweetwater factory was massive and “taller than any building in Atlanta.” A small mill village officially named Sweetwater, but also known as Factory Town by some of its inhabitants, quickly grew around the mill. Unlike other mill villages, Sweetwater did not provide any educational or recreational facilities for its employees. The town consisted mostly of small farms of those who worked in the mill.

New Manchester mills produced cotton fibers. This raw product was shipped to other manufacturing companies to be processed into yarn. After a reorganization of the company, Sweetwater changed its name to the New Manchester Manufacturing Company.

During the Civil War, Union forces targeted Southern textile mills to weaken the Confederacy’s economy and wartime production. New Manchester was no exception to the brutality of the Civil War. Federal forces burned this mill during Sherman’s March to the Sea.  New Manchester never recovered after the Civil War. The ruins of the mill were left undisturbed and were soon covered with dense foliage.

Today, you can visit Sweetwater Creek State Park to hike to the ruins of New Manchester Manufacturing Company. Enjoy the Visitors Center’s exhibit about the mill and mill life while you are there!


Charter Trail Members

Resources to Explore

Click on the following links to learn more about this region.


Back to Community List

Email the Trail at wgtht@westga.edu or visit our Contact Us page for more information.

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