Still Got Cotton in My Blood

As 1901 began, two things happened on the Rome/ Floyd County Textile program. The first was Henry Parrish Miekleham took over the Massachusetts Cotton Mill of Georgia in Lindale.

The second thing was that closer to Rome, a handful of local businessmen, opened another textile mill. They acquired a fouracre tract of land between Silver Creek and the Chattanooga, Rome, and Southern railroad.

J.A. Glover was president of the company; E.T. McGhee, vice president; C.E. McLin, secretarytreasurer and general manager. The additional directors were John Miller, Ike May, Thomas Fahy and E.L. Bosworth. J.S. Bachman will serve as superintendent of the mill. McLin and Bachman, the executive officers of the company, were men of wide cotton mill experience. T.F. McGhee, Jr. and Rhoten Smith complete the office quota.

While the mill in Lindale was manufacturing duck, osnaberg, drill and sheeting, the new mill would concentrate on wide duck, sail and army duck and cotton rope. There was a large market for tents and — in particular — awnings for store fronts across the nation.

Starting small, with a purse of $24,000, the mill opened with 24 looms, and a 40 horse power engine. Within ten years, the newspapers were reporting the mill now had 178 looms and 14,000 spindles with an employment of 350 well paid and satisfied men and women.

Work was already in progress to expand by 20 percent, adding 3,000 more spindles and 30 more looms. This would give the company a 100,000 square feet of floor space, and be operated by electricity. The mill had competed in the Appalachian Exposition of 1911 in Knoxville, Tennessee, and won first place and a gold medal. The Rome mill led the south.

During an interview of Mr. McLin by a local journalist, he elaborated on the success of the mill in its first 10 years.

“We started out in a modest way, but we gave ourselves room to grow. I have no doubt about our success, but we didn’t want to go in too heavy at first. In 1900, Georgia led the South and the world on the number of mills built. I feel certain the cotton mill industry will have special development in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas in the coming years, for obvious reasons.”

“The Carolina’s have built enough mills in the last few years to consume the local supply of cotton, and must seek the raw resources from the deep south cotton growing states.”

“And it costs more to ship cotton from here to the Carolina mills than it does to Massachusetts. So, the mills are going to move closer to the source of raw material. Also the labor question is becoming serious in the Carolina’s, which is in our favor. I expect great things in line for Georgia and Alabama for the coming years.”

World War I propelled the mill into the largest contract they had received. It was all they could do to meet the military’s needs for tenting and duffels.

With many of the amenities of the other local mills, Anchor Duck served the community and Rome well. The name changed later to Anchor Rome, and finally to Dan River. The mill closed in 1958, putting approximately 400 employees out of a job.

In 1948, the mill was engaged in a labor union strike that set many friends and neighbors against each other. There were shootings, and beatings, and many threats. It seems both sides were involved in the atrocities reported by local journalists.

And the camaraderie never seemed to return to what it was before the strike, and may have had some influence in its eventual closing.

The Anchor Duck village was a vibrant community for most of its tenure, and the former employees hold a reunion each year. There is nothing left of the mill now. Several business used the old buildings, after the closing for several years, but all are now gone.

The Employee Association placed a monument on the grounds of the Rome/Floyd Health Department in 2009 (located on acreage where the mill once stood) to remember the mill and its people. Russ McClanahan (Rome area history museum archivist) and I were fortunate to be able to attend the unveiling.

Although the numbers keep shrinking, the reunion will be held once again in a few months. If you worked or grew up in the village, please make plans to attend. MIKE RAGLAND Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com