Tag Archives: Georgia Textile Industry

Rose Hill School, 1937, Porterdale

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Rose Hill is a historically black community in northeast Porterdale that was originally developed in the early 1900s as a segregated residential community for mill workers. The school was built in 1937 by the Bibb Manufacturing Company and also served as a church and a community gathering place. Rose Hill School and church was the only African American educational establishment in Porterdale while the mill was in operation. The building has remained largely unchanged since construction and reflects a unique era of development in a distinctive mill community.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Rose Hill Cottage, Porterdale

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Since this structure is located adjacent to the Rose Hill School, it may have been a teacher’s home, or since the school was also a church, it may have housed the preacher. Since I have been unable to confirm any of these theories, I’m identifying it as a “Rose Hill Cottage”, typical of the others built by the Bibb Manufacturing Company for their segregated African-American employees.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Mill Housing, Porterdale

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Ivy Street

Porterdale is one of the most intact mill towns in Georgia and that may be most evident in the housing constructed by the mills for their employees. Typically utilitarian, most of the homes are quite uniform in appearance but in Porterdale, there is some variation, since there were three major mills. This row, on Ivy Street, features bungalow-style cottages. One thing you’ll notice in Porterdale is the proximity of the houses; they’re built very close to one another and there is little yard space, but the houses themselves are nearly all still around and have been modernized for the present generation of owners.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Central of Georgia Railroad Depot, Circa 1898, Porterdale

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The Central of Georgia Railroad built this depot circa 1898 when they extended their tracks beyond Covington to handle all the business generated by the mills in Porterdale. It’s a bit of an unusual form, and since it’s been restored in recent years, I don’t know if the extension originally featured a loading platform or if it’s part of a newer use for the structure.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Welaunee Mill, Circa 1920, Porterdale

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The Welaunee Mill was built on the site of the old Phillips Mill, the oldest mill in Porterdale, and is similar to the Porterdale Mill across the Yellow River but on a smaller scale. The architecture is the same, incorporating continuous rows of segmental-arched windows and a four-story tower. Welaunee was the third and last facility built in the modern mill era that defined Porterdale.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Osprey Mill, 1916, Porterdale

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The Osprey Mill was built on the north side of the Yellow River, west of downtown Porterdale. It was the second mill build in the modern era and with a large complex of supporting structures, was the largest mill in town. I believe it was the last of the three, still in operation, and while originally similar in appearance to the Porterdale and Welaunee Mills, was modernized at some point to accommodate changing work requirements.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Porterdale Mill, 1899

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The mills were the center of life in the town of Porterdale, and the Porterdale Mill, built in 1899, was the best known. It remains an engineering wonder, spanning about 800 feet of the Yellow River. A 125-foot stone dam was essential to the operation of the mill and is a landmark in its own right. During the early 20th century, the Porterdale mills manufactured more cotton rope than any other mill in the nation, and during World War II, they were the leading supplier of rope to the United States Navy.

The abandoned mill was later converted into housing, known as the Porterdale Mill Lofts, and still serves the community in this incarnation.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Porter Memorial Gym, 1938, Porterdale

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Built as a gift to the people of Porterdale by James H. Porter in memory of his father and Porterdale founder Oliver Saffold Porter (1836-1914), the Porter Memorial Gym was one of the main gathering places in the community until the decline of the mills. It was designed by one of Georgia’s first female architects, Ellamae Ellis League.

Though a 2005 fire destroyed much of the structure and collapsed the roof, the foundation and walls remain were re-enforced and the site is occasionally used for gatherings and community events.


Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Commercial Block, 1923, Porterdale

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This typical early-20th-century commercial block originally housed offices for the textile mills that dominated life in Porterdale. The executives and paymaster had offices upstairs while the mayor’s office was located downstairs. Circa 1925, according to the National Register of Historic Places, Porterdale mills were among the largest spinning mills in the nation, with over 75,000 spindles.

Since the closure of the mills, it has been home to myriad businesses, including a barber, shoe shop, doctor, dentist, drug store, funeral home, restaurant, and even the Porterdale post office. After later remodeling and an altered roofline, it has been returned to its more traditional appearance.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Julia A. Porter United Methodist Church, 1925, Porterdale

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As evident in this photograph, and the one below, the Julia A. Porter Church commands a high point in downtown Porterdale, dominating the skyline when seen from the Yellow River bridge.

According to a church history, Rev. Firley Baum was appointed the first pastor of the “Porterdale Mission” by the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1903. 35 charter members joined the Porterdale Church and first met in the Community Building, and from 1917 until the construction of the present structure, the met in the Porterdale School. Rev. J. J. Mize led a capital campaign for the construction of the new church, which was completed in 1925. James Hyde Porter (1873-1949) was the largest benefactor and asked only that the church be named for his mother, Julia Antoinette McCracken Porter (1838-1926), which it was. Mrs. Porter was known for her charitable work within the mill community and was turned the first shovel of dirt and was present at the dedication. One source states she died a year later but her gravestone records the date as 1926. Her charitable works continue not only within the congregation but through a foundation that still sustains the community.

Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places