Whittier Mill Village

Located on Atlanta's West Side, adjacent to the Chattahoochee River, Whittier Mill Village was once home to the Whittier Cotton Mill. The mill was developed as part of an arrangement between Chattahoochee Brick Company's vice president G.W. Parrot and Whittier Cotton Mills. The mill was named after the Whittier family of Massachusetts, who had originally started the mill in Lowell. The brick company sold 30 acres along the Chattahoochee to construct the 40,000 square foot mill, a warehouse, and thirty frame cottages. The brick company received $2,5oo in cash and $50,000 in stock.

The mill was developed in Atlanta after Miss Whittier visited the city prior to the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition and was impressed with the area. A July 1896 special feature to the Atlanta Journal read "Quite the community itself/Operatives Colonized in Comfortable Cottages -- Built by Capitalists of New England...One of the most picturesque places in the vicinity of Atlanta is Whittier Mills. . . . The houses of the operatives are built around the brow of the hill in a semi-circular shape. . . [that] resembles a half-moon. . . . The greatest number of these houses face the mill and are built of the best material with terraced yards and plenty of green grass, some of the more thrifty of the occupants already having roses planted and growing. Altogether they present an appearance of thrift and care not usually seen among people of this class."

Jobs paid a dollar a day. In addition, the mill owners provided a settlement house, a store, a school building with space for religious services, and a golf course. Directly across Parrott Avenue from the company store was the "ark," which included a barber shop, a shoe shop, and a pharmacy. Housing was rented from the mill and paid for by the room. Homes were largely duplexes with interiors that could be reconfigured for families needing more space. These homes cost $0.50 a room, $1.50 a week, or $6.00 per four week month, which included maintenance and utilities. The mill painted the homes, cut the grass, provided water and electricity, and took care of repairs.

Although the original homes had wells to provide water, the mill expansion in 1926 provided new homes with running water.

Goods produced by the mill changed over time. In 1914, production included "mineral wool" or asbestos. In the 1920's blue denim was produced and then sold the the U.S. penitentiary in Atlanta. During WWII, the mill made cloth for sandbags for the government. In addition, the mill also produced corduroy, garden hosing, and synthetics.

The 1930's were difficult years for the mill and its workers. Once the depression set in, millworkers cut pieces for Ideal American puzzles in the evenings to earn extra money. Permanent layoffs and short term strikes were common. However, the 1940's found increased economic stability due to the proliferation of wartime contracts. A company baseball team began as well. However, after the City of Atlanta annexed Chattahoochee in 1952, which was originally an unincorporated township, life at the mill changed considerably. The mill was sold in 1954 and the new owners began selling the mill houses for $2000 to tenants.

By 1971, the mill had closed permanently due to increasing competition overseas. For the next two decades, the mill buildings were vacant. The city proposed to turn the site in the a landfill in 1980. By 1986, several of the buildings were burned by arsonists. In 1988, several structures were demolished. However, the original mill tower, which originally housed offices and a water tank, remains. Slowly, a small investment group began to renovate the housing for resale, which has continued to today. In 2001, the neighborhood was designated as a historic district by the city of Atlanta.

Source: http://www.whittiermillvillage.org/history.htm