16, section 2 valley vision

By Max Davis

Blythe shares some inter-esting facts about the culturalbackground of Valley as hegives an exclusive account ofwhat’s to come in the book.Q: What sparked your

interest to write a book aboutthe city of Valley?A: Well, my association

with Valley goes way back10 or 11 years.I belong to a professional

organization called theVernacular ArchitectureForum. It’s a national associ-ation of people who are inter-ested in American architec-ture and the people who buildit. Back in 1999, the organi-zation VAF had its annualmeeting in Columbus, Ga.One of the areas that themeeting focused on was thetextile mills and mills vil-lages of Valley.As part of that meeting, I

helped to prepare a book thatthe meeting could use thatdealt with Valley, and I alsogave a paper at that meetingon the history of Valley.

That meeting was thebeginning of my associationwith the people in Valley.After that, I worked on aNational Register of HistoricPlaces nomination for Valley.In 2009, the historic commis-sions received a grant to dothe book on Valley.The idea of the book that

I’m doing now for Valley isto take some of the informa-tion that I developed andresearched in the past andpresent it in a more popularkind of book.The work I have done in

the past has been more for anacademic audience.The book is something we

hope can be used in theschools in Valley and be dis-tributed to people in theValley.It’s going to be like an

overview of the textile historythere.Q: During your research

for the book, what did youdiscover?A: The West Point

Manufacturing Company left

their corporate records to thecounty archive and there aresome wonderful things inthere. I learned when all themill houses were built inValley. Until the 1950s, thecompany owned those housesand rented them out to theworkers. I learned when thehouses got indoor plumbing,instead of having outhouses. Ialso learned how much itwould cost to put a fencearound the yard. I found anumber of interviews withlong-time residents.Q: What did you learn

from your interviews withValley citizens?A: I think the interviews

with the residents were themost interesting thing that Idiscovered because from talk-ing to people you learn whatlife was like before everyoneowned an automobile. Theirlives revolved around the fac-tory, the church they went toand their neighbors. It was adifferent kind of life the thanthe life that people live now.Maybe once a week theywould go to West Point, Ga.,to do their shopping, or go asfar as Columbus or Atlanta.Back then that was a big tripfor them. That’s the kind ofthing I most enjoyed learningabout.100 years ago, people start-

ed working at the mills at theage of 10 and that was theirlife. I would talk to peoplewho their parents and grand-parents who worked in themill.Of course, all that has

changed since the mills areclosed. Their whole way oflife has disappeared.Q: What significance does

the city of Valley hold inAmerican history?A: It was one of the places

in the South where peoplemoved from working on afarm or working as a share-cropper to working for wagesin an industrial industry. Ithas a very important role inthe industrialization of theSouth. The shift from beingalmost an exclusively agri-cultural farming to beingmore industrial, I would say,

is was the most importantpart of the story.Q: What role did the textile

mills of Valley play in thedevelopment of the city?A: The West Point

Manufacturing Companycontrolled just about everyaspect of life. They owned allthe houses.They would send crews

around every three to fouryears to paint the houses, andthey would also send crewsto cut the grass for thehomes. That was the way oflife, which is called paternal-ism. The company was sortof the role as the “BigDaddy” for everyone thatworked for them.We’re talking maybe 4,000

or five 5,000 families in theValley who worked for thecompany.Q: How did things change

once the manufacturing com-panies closed?A: The manufacturing

companies were so importantin the people lives, and nowit doesn’t exist anymore.

The significance of thetransition from the way oflife where the company pro-vided a lot for the familiesand now the lives of thou-sands has changed within ablink of an eye.The company built recre-

ational facilities and gymna-siums for the community,and now they have nothing.Q: What should be the

main focus on the history ofValley?A: I would say the main

focus should be the people,the families and how theyreacted in that environment.What was life like for thosepeople?Many people have told me

that back in the day therewere pluses and minuses.Maybe the people didn’thave so much freedom sincethe company had so muchcontrol, but on the other handit was a very close knit com-munity. Giving that theywere living in this world thatwas largely created by thecompany, how did that affecttheir lives?

By Emily Beckett

A circle painted on thehardwood floors of ShawmutKindergarten represents oneof the historic treasures theValley Historic PreservationCommission has been able topreserve in one of its fourmill villages.This circle may seem trivial

compared to the buildingitself, constructed in 1924,but it is more than simply alarge dot painted on slats ofwell-worn wood.For Valley resident and

commission treasurerBarbara Brooks, it evokesfond memories of her child-hood in a place where themills often created ties asstrong as family.“We would sit around the

circle, play our games anddo lessons and things,”Brooks says. “When you’re5 years old, it looksextremely large. When yougo in as an adult, you’rewondering, ‘How did we fitin this little building, sittingaround this circle?’”Brooks says she had the

opportunity to visit her for-mer kindergarten when shebecame a commissioner forValley’s historic preservationabout six years ago.“I grew up in Valley, so it’s

been a home the majority ofmy life,” Brooks says. “Iworked in Lanett in a chemi-cal distribution facility there,

but I attended schools inValley and lived in Valley.”Shortly after Brooks moved

back to her hometown andbegan working at City Hall,City Clerk Martha Cato intro-duced Brooks to the historybehind Valley’s dated build-ings and dynamic people.“I found it fascinating,”

says Brooks, a self-pro-claimed history buff. “Nextthing I know, I was appointeda commissioner.”Brooks dove right into the

preservation pool as the com-mission continued to refur-bish various historic build-ings in each mill village,including ShawmutKindergarten, complete witha fresh coat of paint for itslegendary circle.A large project Brooks and

the commission have adoptedis finding a permanent homefor Valley’s oral history com-munity theater group, theCotton Mill Players.The group currently per-

forms in the LangdaleTheater, the only one of fourtheaters still standing fromthe mill village era.“We have local writers and

local performers,” Brookssays. “No one is profession-al. We would love to haveprofessionals, but it’s all yourstories that people tell.”Brooks said that in a

sparsely populated area likeValley, the place where sto-ries become scripts for the

Cotton Mill Players can bealmost as interesting as thestories themselves.“You’re sitting there, eat-

ing at a restaurant, and youstart talking to the personnext to you,” Brooks says,“and before long, you’re writ-ing stories down.People think, ‘Well, how is

that historic?’ It’s gatheringthe history.”And Valley certainly has its

fair share of history.Even with national recogni-

tion, Brooks said, the com-mission is limited in howmuch it can contribute torestoring some of the city’smost precious structures andpreserving their historicintegrity.“None of our mill villages

are designated by the CityCouncil as historic areas,”Brooks said. “So, we don’thave the capability of manag-ing what happens in those vil-lages.”“I think we’re slowly los-

ing our identity, because youfind that community atmos-phere is not as prominent as itused to be,” Brooks says.“There seems to be a lack ofpride in some of the mill vil-lage areas as far as takingcare of the homes.”The commission is also

concerned about what willhappen to the old mill build-ings.The mills were the threads

that, not too long ago, formed

the seams in the Valley quilt.Those seams began to rip

one by one as each of themills was forced to shut itsdoors because of the recenteconomic downturn.“It would be wonderful to

have one of the mills convert-ed back into an industry,”Brooks said, “but with their

age, I just don’t see that hap-pening.”Brooks and other commis-

sioners envision the millbuildings being preserved andconverted into museums,small businesses or local ven-ues for performing artsgroups like the Cotton MillPlayers.“I don’t ever foresee a large

manufacturing facility thereagain,” Brooks says, “but tohave some small shops…Ithink that would be a wonder-ful project to start with.”Brooks said she and Cato

have been collecting potentialmuseum artifacts from Valleyresidents who bring them infrom the mills.“One of our little philoso-

phies that we’ve come upwith for the historic preserva-tion,” Brooks says, “is ourpurpose is not just preservingthe buildings, but it’s alsopreserving the stories andValley’s history one struc-ture, one story, at a time.”Brooks said the commis-

sion is working to fully con-vert the former RiverViewSchool building into a havenfor Valley’s historical treas-ures.“The outside of the build-

ing has been completely pre-served, and we’re working onthe inside,” Brooks says.“That’s where we would loveto have a cultural center,archives and some of ourmuseum artifacts displayed.”“The city finances a lot of

the projects, and of course,the board of education main-tains their own buildings,”Brooks said. “We do a lot ofgrant work, but grants don’tpay for bricks and mortar.You have to depend on pri-vate donations.”Brooks said the commis-

sion had a study conductedrecently on BethlehemChurch to determine howmuch it would cost to repair.The estimate was nearly$500,000.“Needless to say, it’s still

sitting there,” Brooks says.“Every time we have a largewind, everybody holds theirbreath, hoping it doesn’t fallin.”Brooks said the commis-

sion has discussed removingthe columns in an effort topreserve them in a safe envi-ronment.“It’s one of the most unique

buildings, and it is one of ouroldest buildings,” Brookssays. “Bethlehem Churchpredates the mills themselves.It is the original structure.”For preservation projects

such as the church, Brookssaid, the commission votes onhow the money in its budgetis spent.It must approve any

changes proposed for build-ings that are designated his-toric structures by the CityCouncil based on the historicsignificance of the building.“I’d love to see us have the

finances to really maintainsome of our historic struc-tures,” Brooks says. “We’renot just about the buildings;we’re about the people, too.You can’t maintain just thebuildings unless you maintainthe stories behind those build-ings.”For more information on

the Valley HistoricPreservation Commission,visit the website viahttp://www.cityofvalley.com/home/community/historic-preservation.

By Max Davis

History is somethingthat never changes withtime.History is something that

should never be forgotten orleft behind.It was meant to be shared

with our children and theirchildren to come.Historian Robert Blythe,

59, is doing just that.“Valley’s Textile History”,to be released by the end ofthe year, will focus on thetextile period and the livesthat the people in Valleyloved when most of thepeople were working in themills, Blythe says.With an American history

degree from RooseveltUniversity in Chicagounder his belt, he has trav-eled extensively, research-ing historical studies acrossthe nation.

Blythe is trying to keepthe history of Valley livingwithin the hearts of the chil-dren by putting differentstories and research aboutthe history of Valley intoone fairly compact book.“The people that are com-

ing up now, now that all themills are closed, will have ahard time trying to imaginewhat life was like inValley,” Blythe says. “It ishoped that, with this book, Ican make it more accessibleto a younger audience.”Valley City Council

member Jim Jones saysBlythe has been associatedwith the city of Valley since1999.“He is working on a book

on the history of Valleythrough some grant moneyand we are hoping that wecan pull together a bookthat will tell the story ofValley,” Jones says.Mary Shell, a representa-

tive from the State Historic

Preservation office, isexcited about the project.“This project is a bit dif-

ferent from what we usuallydo,” Shell said. “Most ofour publications are walk-ing tour brochures, but wesaw here a great opportuni-ty to do a history booklet.”In the past, Blythe has

written academic papersabout the history of Valleyfor the VernacularArchitecture Forum organi-zation.With the book about the

textile mills in Valley, he istrying to make it moreaccessible to the averagereader.“We are trying to put a lot

of illustrations in the book,”Blythe said. “It can make itmore accessible to ayounger audience.Although the book will

not be on sale nationwide, itis hoped that it will be fea-tured in the public libraries,schools throughout Valleyand other publishing possi-bilities may arise.“We are hoping, once this

project is done, that we cantake some of the samematerial from the book andtake it to an outside publish-er so they can come up witha different book that theycan sell,” Blythe said.Blythe’s bond with histo-

ry is tighter than chainslinked together.“I’ve always been attract-

ed to the past,” Blythe said.“When I was a teenager, I

read a lot about the CivilWar.”During his teenage years,

it was the centennial of theCivil War from 1961 to1965.There were a lot a books

and articles about that war,said Blythe. “It deepenedmy interest in history,”Blythe said.Blythe explains he felt a

connection with Valley,because his great-grandfa-ther was a worker in thetextile mills similar to theones in the town.“The particular history of

Valley with the textileindustry fits in with myfamily’s history,” Blythesays. “My great-grandfa-ther, in 1898, went to workin a textile mill village inSouth Carolina nearGreenville.”Although Blythe only

met his great- grandfatheronce, he said he felt thatthat part of the history inValley connected to hisancestry.

During a visit to theD e p a r t m e n t o fCommunication andJournalism at AuburnUniversity, Blytheexplained how the familiesmoved from the farms tothe mill towns and howthis ultimately moved theSouth into the industrialera.“The Valley story is real-

ly a part of a bigger story,”Blythe says.

Blythe being interviewed about Valley’s past.

Brooks invests in Valley preservation efforts

Historian writes book detailing ‘what life was like’Family ties

make Valleyexperiencespecial for

author

“I think we’re slowly

losing our identity,

because you find that

community atmos-

phere is not as promi-

nent as it used to be.”

Brooks

VHPC Treasurer

16 Valley Vision Spring 2010

Photo by Morgan Stashick

CMYK

Spotlight: Q&A with Bob Blythe