The Carroll County Driving Tour Brochure

The apparel industry also came to the region in 1928, when the Sewell Sewell the when 1928, in region the to came also industry apparel The

Inside of Villa Rica Hosiery Mill, courtesy Teddy Williamson. Teddy courtesy Mill, Hosiery Rica Villa of Inside and hose. and

westgatextiletrail.com/carroll-trail/. Hosiery Mills in Villa Rica. They produced anklets, half hose, crew socks, socks, crew hose, half anklets, produced They Rica. Villa in Mills Hosiery

Visit this website for more information about this driving tour: http:// tour: driving this about information more for website this Visit late 1920s, including Villa Rica Hosiery Mill in Fullerville and Golden City City Golden and Fullerville in Mill Hosiery Rica Villa including 1920s, late

along Bradley Street near the depot. Villa Rica had four hosiery mills by the the by mills hosiery four had Rica Villa depot. the near Street Bradley along uniforms in Bowdon. in uniforms

Mills, and Maryon Mills all opened in Carrollton, with several clustered clustered several with Carrollton, in opened all Mills Maryon and Mills, produce an array of more specialized goods in Carrollton and military military and Carrollton in goods specialized more of array an produce

settled along the railroad lines. Carroll Mills, Lawler Hosiery Mills, Caroline Caroline Mills, Hosiery Lawler Mills, Carroll lines. railroad the along settled lost most of this industry now, but there are a few businesses that still still that businesses few a are there but now, industry this of most lost

the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Carroll County has has County Carroll (NAFTA). Agreement Trade Free Atlantic North the

from overseas competition, the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), and and (CBI), Initiative Basin Caribbean the competition, overseas from

By the late twentieth century, the apparel industry also began to decline decline to began also industry apparel the century, twentieth late the By

UWG Center for Public History. Public for Center UWG

made kernmantle caving rope. Photograph by Kymberli Darling. Courtesy Courtesy Darling. Kymberli by Photograph rope. caving kernmantle made

History.

Interior photograph of BlueWater Ropes operations, producing American- producing operations, Ropes BlueWater of photograph Interior

Center for Public Public for Center

Courtesy of UWG UWG of Courtesy

the early 1900s. 1900s. early the

at Banning Mill in in Mill Banning at

operate the looms looms the operate

Two Sisters Sisters Two

hosiery industry, which moved down from the northern states and also also and states northern the from down moved which industry, hosiery

United States due to overseas competition. Local mills began to close close to began mills Local competition. overseas to due States United

By the 1920s and 1930s, Carroll County also became a center of the the of center a became also County Carroll 1930s, and 1920s the By

By the 1950s, cotton manufacturing had already begun to decline in the the in decline to begun already had manufacturing cotton 1950s, the By

schools, cotton gins, and ancillary textile enterprises. textile ancillary and gins, cotton schools,

rugs, and knitted tubing for the meat industry. meat the for tubing knitted and rugs,

Both featured company towns with mill houses, businesses, churches, churches, businesses, houses, mill with towns company featured Both

mattresses, elastic, laundry nets, utility clothes, potholders, braided cotton cotton braided potholders, clothes, utility nets, laundry elastic, mattresses,

in 1899 and Villa Rica Cotton Mill in Fullerville, outside Villa Rica, in 1906. 1906. in Rica, Villa outside Fullerville, in Mill Cotton Rica Villa and 1899 in

War II, Carrollton boasted manufacturers producing chenille bedspreads, bedspreads, chenille producing manufacturers boasted Carrollton II, War

crossed the county in the late 1800s, including Mandeville Mills in Carrollton Carrollton in Mills Mandeville including 1800s, late the in county the crossed

Other smaller textile companies opened at this time as well. After World World After well. as time this at opened companies textile smaller Other

investors began to build cotton mills along the new railroads that criss- that railroads new the along mills cotton build to began investors

apparel plant! apparel As New South advocates argued for bringing textile mills to the South, South, the to mills textile bringing for argued advocates South New As

manufacturing facility in Mt. Zion in 1955. It seemed like every town had an an had town every like seemed It 1955. in Zion Mt. in facility manufacturing

and modernized the mill in 1885. in mill the modernized and

1959. The Ray Sewell Company, founded in Bremen, built a new pants pants new a built Bremen, in founded Company, Sewell Ray The 1959.

rebuilt and resumed some operation in 1866. Arthur Hutcheson expanded expanded Hutcheson Arthur 1866. in operation some resumed and rebuilt

and Bowdon Manufacturing Companies opened in Bowdon in 1955 and and 1955 in Bowdon in opened Companies Manufacturing Bowdon and

cotton mill here in the 1840s. The original mill burned in 1851, but it was was it but 1851, in burned mill original The 1840s. the in here mill cotton

Family. and Mandeville, or Bowdon Junction, in 1960. LaMar Manufacturing Manufacturing LaMar 1960. in Junction, Bowdon or Mandeville, and

The Bowen brothers utilized the water power of Snake Creek for a small small a for Creek Snake of power water the utilized brothers Bowen The

Company plant in Temple, Georgia. Courtesy the Harold Brock Brock Harold the Courtesy Georgia. Temple, in plant Company

Sewell Manufacturing Company built new facilities in Temple in 1953 1953 in Temple in facilities new built Company Manufacturing Sewell

Carroll County was home to one of the earliest cotton mills in the region. region. the in mills cotton earliest the of one to home was County Carroll

Women sewing zippers in men’s slacks at the Sewell Manufacturing Manufacturing Sewell the at slacks men’s in zippers sewing Women manufacture suits for his new Warren Sewell Clothing Company (1948). (1948). Company Clothing Sewell Warren new his for suits manufacture

Bremen-Bowdon Investment Company or BBIC in Bowdon (1946) to to (1946) Bowdon in BBIC or Company Investment Bremen-Bowdon

Hamersky. many local women as seamstresses. Warren Sewell established the the established Sewell Warren seamstresses. as women local many

Cotton ready for processing, courtesy Susan Patton Patton Susan courtesy processing, for ready Cotton The apparel industry expanded dramatically after World War II, hiring hiring II, War World after dramatically expanded industry apparel The

Courtesy John and Josie Hite. Josie and John Courtesy

Whitesburg. Company, Manufacturing Virginia

was the leading cotton producer in the state. the in producer cotton leading the was

twentieth century. For several years in the 1920s and 1930s, Carroll County County Carroll 1930s, and 1920s the in years several For century. twentieth property. BlueWater Ropes is still produced and known around the world. the around known and produced still is Ropes BlueWater property.

enslaved labor. Cotton production continued to increase through the early early the through increase to continued production Cotton labor. enslaved

Jr. began producing a synthetic climbing rope on the old Mandeville Mill Mill Mandeville old the on rope climbing synthetic a producing began Jr.

Farmers began growing cotton here before the Civil War, many using using many War, Civil the before here cotton growing began Farmers

across the street from Mill #1. In 1968, his son Richard “Dick” Newell, Newell, “Dick” Richard son his 1968, In #1. Mill from street the across Bowdon to manufacture men’s suit and sport coats. coats. sport and suit men’s manufacture to Bowdon

Mandeville’s grandson John Richard Newell, Sr. created a rope factory factory rope a created Sr. Newell, Richard John grandson Mandeville’s in Bremen. In 1933, Sewell Manufacturing Company opened a plant in in plant a opened Company Manufacturing Sewell 1933, In Bremen. in manufacturing, from its establishment in 1826 through the twentieth century. century. twentieth the through 1826 in establishment its from manufacturing,

or shift operations to other products. Mandeville Mills closed in 1953. 1953. in closed Mills Mandeville products. other to operations shift or brothers established the headquarters of Sewell Manufacturing Company Company Manufacturing Sewell of headquarters the established brothers Carroll County boasts a long history of cotton production and textile textile and production cotton of history long a boasts County Carroll From Cotton to Suits: Exploring Carroll County’s Textile Stories Stories Textile County’s Carroll Exploring Suits: to Cotton From

West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail While You’re Here While you are in Carroll County, visit these places to learn more about Regional Map the textile history of Carroll County: Dalton Carrollton Spur Walking Trail & Wayside Exhibit Parking available at Adamson Square From Cotton to Suits http://westgatextiletrail.com/carrollton-trail/

Rome Bowdon Spur Walking Trail Exploring Carroll County’s Textile Stories Athens Parking available at Bowdon City Hall Atlanta http://westgatextiletrail.com/bowdon-trail/ Bremen Carrollton Augusta Fullerville Walking Trail Parking avaliable at Fullerville Soccer Complex, Villa Rica Macon LaGrange http://westgatextiletrail.com/fullerville-trail/ Bowdon Area Historical Society Museum Columbus 105 College View Street, Bowdon 770-258-8980 or [email protected] Savannah Call for visiting hours Southeastern Quilt and Textile Musuem 306 Bradley Street, Carrollton Albany Tifton 770-301-2187 Call for visiting hours

Valdosta West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail Archives Center for Public History at University of West Georgia Carroll County cotton farmer sorts through cotton locks, 1940s. 678-839-6141 or [email protected] Courtesy University of West Georgia, Ingram Library, Special Contact to schedule an appointment Collections, Carroll Service Council Records Collections.