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Whittier Cotton Mills photographs

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.VIS462

Scope and Contents

This collection contains images of Whittier Cotton Mills employees, primarily from the cafeteria and spinning room. Also included are images of people and entities not connected to Whittier Cotton Mills, such as Chattahoochee School and Riverside Church of God group portraits and leased convict laborers for the Chattahoochee Brick Company. Of special note are images of the Whittier Cotton Mills baseball team.

Dates

  • approximately 1895-1969, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Biographical / Historical

The Whittier Cotton Mills, based in Lowell, Massachusetts, opened a 10,000-spindle mill on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, northwest of Atlanta, in 1896. The mill, with the surrounding company housing, incorporated as a village that included a post office and Southern Railway frontage. The company built a company store, barber shop, and a schoolhouse; and provided medical services and day care. Later the mill built a baseball field and golf course for employee use. Between 1896 and 1926 members of the Whittier family managed the mill. Helen A. Whittier (1846-?) served as the first president of the company, and Sid Whittier, Paul Fletcher, and Walter Rufus Boyd served in administrative positions for the mill. In 1926, the Silver Lake Company contracted to manage the Whittier Mills. Silver Lake expanded the mill with a 65,000 square foot annex to the main building, referred to as "plant #5." They also built an additional 120 housing units. As part of the expansion plans, Silver Lake emphasized the production of cotton fire hose casing, in addition to the cotton braid and yarn manufactured in the old plant. At its height, the mill employed as many as 600 men and women. Whittier Cotton Mills ceased operation on May 15, 1971.

Extent

115 image(s) (96 black and white negatives and 19 black and white photographic prints)

Language

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1988, with subsequent additions

Related Materials

Whittier Cotton Mills records, MSS 557, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Content Advisory

This collection contains original unedited versions of all content. Some material may contain depictions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There may be instances of racist language and depictions. These items are presented as part of the historical record for the purpose of education and research. The viewpoints expressed in this collection do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers.

General

This collection was previously catalogued as WHI.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2024.

Title
Whittier Cotton Mills photographs
Author
Kate Daly
Date
September 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
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Atlanta GA 30305
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