Lawlessness was a concern to all communities, and perhaps even more so, in mill villages. I know the mill village in my hometown, whether deserved or not, was known as a rough and tumble place and seemed to have more crime than other neighborhoods. Of course, law and order was tantamount to productivity around the mills; disruptions could be quite costly and were not tolerated. A day or two in jail usually took care of the problem.
The small jail in Porterdale is typical of those built in the early 20th century and was restored and landscaped as the Eagle Scout project of Camden Wyman of Troop 93, in 2015.
Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Welaunee Inn originally served as housing for unmarried female employees of the Welaunee Mill, essentially a dormitory. Built in the Tudor Revival style in 1923 [some sources date it to 1920], it had 26 rooms. By the 1950s it was often referred to as the Village Inn, or simply, the Inn. It was sold by the mill in 1966. It’s a massive building, located on Broad Street near the center of town, and has rear-facing wings at either end. It’s still in good condition and though empty at present, has so much potential.
It’s best remembered today not as a hotel but, as Darrell Huckaby wrote in the Newton Community Magazine, “…the Center of Georgia’s Culinary Universe”. He noted, “In the 1950s and into the 1960s, Mrs. Effie Boyd served up some of the best Southern cooking this side of Heaven, from fried chicken and baked ham to roast turkey and country fried steak.” He recalled that Brown’s Guide to Georgia, the state’s periodical travel bible for many years, christened it the state’s best meat-and-three year after year after year. He also said that mill workers didn’t get lunch breaks during the week but folks from “town”, i.e. Covington, were faithful patrons. On Sundays, he said, people from everywhere would line up for hours to sample her Southern favorites. And, “If you have all those vegetables, you have to have cornbread and biscuits with which to sop. Effie Boyd’s biscuits were as good as anybody’s biscuits who ever sifted flour, and her cornbread came in pones, muffins or sticks, depending on the day of the week and her mood.”
Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
In Cornerstone and Grove, Erik Blackburn Oliver notes: “Seney Hall is the most recognized and celebrated building on the Oxford campus, arguably among the most marvelous edifices ever built by Emory College or the University.” The Victorian landmark was designed by the firm of William H. Parkins and Andrew Bruce, the most prominent practitioners in Atlanta at the time.
A beloved symbol of the college to this day, Seney Hall was built to be the most prominent building on campus, replacing Old Main, which originally served that purpose and had been razed in 1872. Its namesake was a Brooklyn banker, George I. Seney. Seney had been so inspired by a sermon by Emory College president Atticus Haygood, urging sectional and racial reconciliation, that he gifted the school with over $130,000 in 1880. It has stood the test of time and now houses administrative offices.
An aside: Like its neighbor, Johnson Hall, Seney Hall also makes an appearance in the opening sequence of the television show, The Dukes of Hazzard.
Oxford Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 