PEAKS: Lost Mill Towns of North Georgia

When North Georgia's red clay failed farmers and prices fell during Reconstruction, the textile era was born of a perfect storm. Beginning in the 1880s, textile industries moved south enticing an entire workforce to leave their farms and move their families into modern mill villages, encased communities with stores, theatres, baseball teams, bands, and schools. 
Strikes and economic changes eroded the era of mill villages and by the 1960s, mill village life was all but gone. In this presentation, author Lisa Russell brings these once-vibrant communities back to life.