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By Lauren NixFairfax is the youngest of

Valley’s four mill villages.Known as “The Towel

City,” the Fairfax mill wasknown for producing towels.The Board of Directors at

West Point ManufacturingCompany authorized thebuilding of the mill divisionin June of 1915.George H. Lanier proposed

the building of the millaround this time to offer jobsto the unemployed in thecommunity who were strug-gling during the hard businesstimes of 1913 and 1914.

Plus, it was a profitableinvestment for his company.The Fairfax Mill was one of

three local mills built to runexclusively on electricity.According to an article

about Fairfax in a 1954 issueof Westpointer Magazine,when the mill was ready tobegin operations in 1916,World War I had been inprogress for nearly two years,and the Allied Nations were

in desperate need of Armyduck.So, 194 duck looms were

installed along with only 37crash toweling looms.Duck was removed from

the mill operations in 1926,and Fairfax became a soleproducer of towels, as it wasoriginally intended.In 1928, the West Point

Manufacturing Company pur-

chased the machinery andrights of the Martex Plant inPhiladelphia, which includedall rights to the trademark“Martex,” a superior brand oftowel.

Fairfax then became knownas “The Home of MartexTowels.”Between 1926 and 1952,

more than 227,000 square feetof floor space was added tothe mill to accommodate thegrowing facility.City Councilman Jim Jones

was raised in Fairfax andbegan working in the mill in1976.“Anything that would go in

a bathroom, we made it,”Jones says.When Lanier first proposed

the building of a towel mill,he recommended the continu-ation of the company’s policyto accompany the building ofa new mill with the buildingof a new mill village.Like Shawmut, the Fairfax

Mill Village was “planned”and stood as an example of amodel textile community.Its winding streets were

lined with oak trees and beau-tifully landscaped land con-taining rows of neat three andfour room houses that circled

the mill.Like the other mill villages

in Valley, Fairfax containedschools, churches, a kinder-garten, stores and variouscommunity buildings.Fairfax also contained a

modern auditorium and the-ater building where residentscould enjoy the best in motionpicture and sound projections.In 1917, the Fairfax Depot

was constructed along theChattahoochee ValleyRailroad and still stands todayas one of only two remainingdepots used by theChattahoochee ValleyRailroad.Today, it is used as a small

museum containing muralsand memorabilia of railroadhistory.Fairfax’s history is still

seen today throughout thearea, and those who grew upthere express pride in their umill village.“There was just this sense

of place and belonging in thecommunity,” says Jones.

By Theadoris MorrisBuilt in the shape of a cross,

with windows made of ham-mered glass shaped in thedesign of Moses’ tablets andthe pew and light fixturesdesigned in the exact sameshapes, the Fairfax FirstChristian Church was, at onetime or another, home to alldenominations of the mill vil-lage.The church was built in

1916 on the Boulevard by abiblical scholar and architectfrom West PointManufacturing Co. whosename is unknown because norecords exist.The actual structure of the

church exposes 9-inch hand-hewn beveled-edged beamsand pointed arches placed inthe sanctuary that are coveredwith dark stain to contrastwith the white walls, accord-ing to “Valley, AlabamaYesterday, Today,Tomorrow,” found in theCobb Memorial Archives.The church’s original name

was “The Union Church”.It was sometimes just

called “the church” as it wasshared by the Disciples ofChrist, Baptist, Methodist andNazarene denominations.“All of the big bosses came

to this church,” says AlSchoeffel, deacon of theFairfax First ChristianChurch. “The mill supervisorsand the workers attended thischurch together.”Worship services for the

denominations were split toevery other Sunday.By 1927, the Methodist

membership was the largestof the church groups.One by one each denomina-

tion moved out of the churchafter having their separatechurch built.The Nazarenes were the

first to move in the early1920s.

Seven years later, theMethodist church departed,and the Baptists left in 1938.After being the only denomi-nation left in the church, that

same year, the ChristianChurch (Disciples of Christ)purchased the old UnionChurch building from theCompany for $5,000.During the church’s zenith

year, Sunday School atten-dance was the highest, fillingevery seat in the building withan average of around 100 to150 people.The church began adding to

the building after it made itslast payment for the church toWest Point ManufacturingCo. in 1950.“The pews have been

updated with cushions,”Schoeffel says. “Classroomsand the dining room wereadded with heat and air condi-tioning.”In 1951, the new

Educational building andPastor’s Study was added at acost of $40,000.Until 1986, numerous items

in the church were dedicatedto their loved ones who hadbeen or were members of thechurch.

Pat Betts, the presentchurch secretary and treasurerwho was the first womanmanager at Lanett Mill, hascollected photos, newspaperclippings and other recordsregarding the church and puttogether a scrapbook docu-menting the church’s history.“The Company built the

kindergarten first,” Betts says.“The church was full of

people back then. I worked inthe nursery and in the chil-dren’s department.”In 1985, the outside of the

church was covered withwhite vinyl siding so thechurch would not have to bepainted every three to five

years.The Alabama Historic

Commission added theChurch to the Alabama List ofHistoric Places.

The church’s structureremains the same as it was in1916 except for the addeddownstairs.

Fairfax earned title of ‘Home of Martex Towels’

BByy Theadoris MorrisSitting on the land that cot-

ton and wheat once owned inthe youngest of the four millvillages is the Fairfax PostOffice. The Fairfax village was

designed to be a completelyself-contained community, sothe post office was placedarchitecturally at the focalpoint of the town. It is located on Boulevard

and was built specifically forpostal service use.The post office was built by

West Point ManufacturingCo. (WPC or the Company)and opened its doors Dec. 20,1915, with Thomas F.McNamara as its first post-master. “Before post office build-

ings were built, post officeswere in the back of stores orin the homes of the postmas-ter,” says Dr. HoraceHolderfield, president of theChattahoochee ValleyHistorical Society.The company built every-

thing in the four mill villagessuch as stores, churches, the-

aters, houses and the mills. “Even the sheriffs were

paid by the Company,” saysValley Mayor Arnold Leakwith a chuckle. “The boxeshad combination locks withtwo little wheels and on theother side were the actualmail slots. Everyone kneweveryone by name. The post-masters knew you and couldhand you your mail directly.”

Mail has even beenaddressed to “The Standpipe,”Fairfax, Ala., and has beenreceived, according to CobbMemorial Archives, “Valley,Alabama Yesterday, Today,Tomorrow”. The Standpipe is a water

tower that provided drinkingwater for the mill and vil-lages.Jesse Harper Jr., an 85-

year-old Fairfax resident andformer janitor for the postoffice, remembers enjoyingwork and the people ofFairfax. “I couldn’t go inside, but I

helped sort packages and putthem on the platform in linefor the next morning,” says

Harper. “That job wasn’t badright there. It was an easyjob.”Harper worked four days a

week from 7 a.m. - 11 a.m.,for $180 every two weekswith no tax taken and paidholidays.

“Bradley Easterwood wasone of the supervisors, and wewere great friends,” saysHarper. “When the postoffices joined I moved downthere and got a raise.”As a janitor, Harper

mopped floors and made sure

the bathrooms were cleanevery morning.“You had to keep the

women folks happy and keeptheir bathroom clean,”saysHarper. “I put paper towels inthere every morning becauseif they weren’t happy, you’llprobably lose your job. Youdidn’t have to worry about themen’s bathroom too much.”The Fairfax Post Office still

has the old boxes in them andwent through 10 postmastersduring its time. The Company built a play-

ground across the street fromthe post office, according toBillie Jean Williams-Clem,who enjoyed playing on theswings there while her motherchecked the mail.Doretha Smith Leak, a

Fairfax resident who wrote abook, “Fairfax MyHometown”, recalls her postoffice memories like it wasyesterday and has fond mem-ories of meeting people there.“All the kids went in to get

the mail, and we walkedaround the circle onSundays,” says Leak. “I

would ride my scooter to thepost office. We saw a lot ofsoldiers and wrecks there.”If the children wanted to

buy candy, they would go buyE-Stamps or ration stampsand cash them in for a penny. The city incorporated in

1980 and in 1984, FairfaxPost Office consolidated withRiverView, Langdale andShawmut to form the newpost office for the City ofValley.After consolidation, the

post office was home tonumerous Valley organiza-tions. It first became the firstCity Hall building. After the City Hall moved,

it became the first SeniorCenter and then the FairfaxFirst Christian Church dininghall. The post office was thefirst restoration project forthe Historic PreservationCommission. In 1997, thecity sold the building to theFraternal Order of Police.“The post office represents

the whole transition ofValley,” says Mayor ArnoldLeak.

Fairfax Post Office sparks sweet memories for residents

Fairfax First Christian Church standson rich foundation of faith, history

Fairfax First Christian Church has been home for many congregations.

Old postcard shows aerial view of Fairfax Mill with Martex Towels sign on top.

Fairfax Post Office was first restoration project. .

Photo by Morgan Stashick

9 Valley Vision Spring 2010