Historic photos of Georgia's textile industry

Flashback photos

Flashback photos: Georgia’s textile mills

A Flashback Photos gallery of Georgia's textile mills in their heyday, as taken by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Oct. 26, 1986: Textile worker Helen Manders hemming pants at the Cherokee Manufacturing Company in Winder, Ga. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044n)

From the 1950s: James N. Wilkins, owner, watches the busy operation of the Helen Hosiery Mills, the only one of its kind. In the left center, manager Arnold Allison (facing camera) discusses equipment problems with a worker. The plant, two years old, is selling argyle hose all over the world. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044l)

Bibb Manufacturing Company textile workers, circa 1940s. (AJC Archives at GSU Library AJCN088-076a)

Dec. 12, 1972: Textile worker Frances Popham, stitching together men's slacks, is one of 650 workers at Georgia converters in Bremen. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044e)

June 8, 1971: Textile workers at the William Carter Company. The company employs approximately 400, and makes infants' and children's wear. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044b)

Nov. 19, 1968: Dowling Textile Manufactoring Co. of McDonough is producing some 300,000 units of operating room garments for the government under contracts worth about $600,000. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCN045-011a)

Nov. 3, 1987: Anri Konfino, head of Elberton Manufacturing Company, stands in the Sewing Room at his plant in Elberton. Konfino joined the company after coming to America from Bulgaria. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044o)

June 26, 1979: Looms at Jefferson Mill, corduroy plant in Jefferson, Ga. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044k)

July 20, 1971: Mrs. Pain Lee Ridley makes one of the first of many, many inspections carpet undergos during its manufacture at one of E. T. Barwick's three plant located in Dalton. The carpet is just coming off of the tuffing machine, the 1st step in making carpet this is the hi-low loop pattern. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044m)

April 21, 1972: Thousands of miles of polyester, nylon, and rayon cords are fed into looms at the B. F. Goodrich textile plant in Thomaston, Ga., where they are woven into sheets and coated with adhesive for use in tire plies and belts for Goodrich in making passenger tires. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044a)

Feb. 11, 1945: "This ain't the Army," says Cpl. John T. Slaton, whose wife works beside him, inspecting the cloth he weaves at the big Osprey Mill. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044f)

June 6, 1971: A textile worker inspects one of many rows of machines at an unidentified textile plant in Georgia. Row after row of machines, tended by a few, produce cloth, but foreign imports from low-wage nations pose a threat. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044j)

March 26, 1957: The small operator still in business. Mr., Mrs. Hubert Whitfield turn out chenilles at an unidentified textile operation. (AJC Archives at GSU Library AJCP315-044i)

April 24, 1970: A worker spins string at an unidentified textile plant in Georgia. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044h)

Aug. 1, 1979: Polaris Mills. Harold Chester feeds fabric onto machine at Polaris Mills. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044d)

July 3, 1980: An unidentified worker monitors a large roll of fabric at an unidentified mill. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044c)

Feb. 14, 1974: Interior of the West Point-Pepperell cloth plant in West Point, Ga. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044g)

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Oct. 26, 1986: Textile worker Helen Manders hemming pants at the Cherokee Manufacturing Company in Winder, Ga. (AJC Archive at GSU Library AJCP315-044n)

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