(above, Lincoln Mill Store Building under
construction, Circa 1927)
The
original mill which once existed along the area of Oakwood, just
west of the present day railroad tracks, was constructed in December
of 1900 and was known as Madison Spinning Mill under the direction
of Captain Milton Humes. Later it was renamed Abingdon Mills, when
Humes found it necessary to secure additional capital in 1904-05.
Abingdon Mills declared bankruptcy in 1918 and William Lincoln
Barrell, a business man from Lawrence, Mass., purchased all of the
companies assets and renamed the company Lincoln Mills of Alabama.
It employed approximately 350 people at this time. In 1924 again
tremendous expansion was brought to the Lincoln Mill with the
addition of manufacturing space (totaling 750,000 sq. ft.) and more
employees.
According
to the times, before unions were organized locally, employees were
paid low wages but given low cost housing built and supplied by the
mill. To the east of the Lincoln Mill, a rival mill existed with a
set of railroad tracks separating the employees and the housing each
mill supplied. This mill was the Dallas Mill.
The
mill after this expansion occupied an area bounded by Oakwood Avenue
on the north side, Meridian Street on the west, Neeley Avenue (then
known as Rison) on the south and the railroad tracks on the east.
South of this area on both sides of Meridian Street company housing
was built. Near the large Ca. 1880 Renaissance Revival Abingdon
house and on Abingdon Avenue, houses were built. Mr. Peeler who
worked for the mill in an executive position lived at Abingdon.
Peeler is remember for his kindness to all of the employees of the
mill.
Company
housing was also located across the street from the mill on Oakwood
Avenue. Most of the housing built in 1924-28 was to the south and
west of the mill, well within walking distance to jobs.
Meridian
Street, as it existed at this time, was the main north & south
highway out of the town. Downtown, to the south, was a hefty walk
and so most of the mill workers contented themselves with staying in
the village. The mill workers were sometimes referred to as "lint
heads".
Construction
began in approximately 1928 on 600 housing units with 2,100 rooms.
Some of these were two story duplexes, while others were one story
and multi unit dwellings. Families occupied the larger houses, while
smaller multi units were occupied by single workers and later known
as bachelor quarters.
After
the Mission Style exterior stucco homes were constructed, a large
commissary building was built. Classically designed, using strong
architectural design elements popular at this time, this building as
well as the school were built to last and fireproof. Poured
concrete curtain wall building methods we utilized with tons of
rebar at it's core. There is an 18" slab between the first and
second floors of each building. On the lower level of this 12,000
sq. ft. building there was a barber shop, beauty shop, cafe and dry
goods store. On the second level was a gymnasium which served the
school to the south. The
double stairwell foyer that now exists was added to the building
sometime after it was built, perhaps when it was converted to show
silent movies. Newspaper records indicate this building was already
standing in 1928 when it was retrofitted to show movies to the mill
workers. The first silent film shown, according to an article
printed Sunday, April 1, 1928, was titled The Kentucky Handicap,
staring Reed Howe.
Lincoln Center 1999
Next
door, south of the Lincoln Center, a school was built in 1929.
Across the street from the school was the old Dr. Pepper Bottling
Company building still standing today but which will be demolished
with the planned widening of Meridian Street.
Mill
housing was supplied to the mill workers for just pennies a day.
Each house had running water, with the bath commode located on the
back just off the small porch. Toilet paper was delivered to your
door via horse and wagon. Baths could be obtained at the barber
shop and perhaps the beauty parlor. Workers were paid in silver
dollars and many of them would frequent the cafe for a special night
out treat. The cafe had several names and in the mid 1930's it was
known as the Blue Willow Cafe. It is the setting for the original
play Mill Stories, produced by the Renaissance Theatre which now
occupies the upper level of the Lincoln Center building.
According
to published records, life in the mill village was one of sharing
and closeness. You worked at the mill, your children went to school
at the Lincoln School, you shopped at the company store and you
lived in the company provided housing. Work at the mill was hard,
some workers lasted only a few days before exhaustion made them
leave. One of the doctors who frequently visited the mill workers
was Dr. O. J. Brooks. He is still remembered for his rough bedside
manner but his genuine concern and love for the people of the mill
village.
I estimate there are
less than ten of the 1928-29 mill houses left standing (the one
stories are on Abingdon, the last remaining two story is on Neeley.)
When the mill closed in 1955, all of the mill owned homes were sold
to the occupants when possible. Others were turned into rental
property and eventually sold by the mill. With the decrease in
cotton manufacturing and the growth the city experienced with the
developing of Redstone Arsenal and area shopping malls, people fled
the village for better housing and shopping. Eventually the
businesses closed on the lower level of the Lincoln Center and all
along Meridian Street.
During the time the
Lincoln Center was used as an Army Reserve, the housing behind the
building was cleared for parking. A city water treatment plant
constructed in the 1960's cleared even more. Later city zoning
made this area along Meridian Street light industry. Property
values declined drastically as more of the housing was converted
from private homes to rental property. Interstate 565 sliced
through some of both Dallas and Lincoln village areas taking out
restaurants, automobile dealer sales lots and so forth. What is
left of the mill is now in the hands of a private owner who has
taken a great deal of interest in preserving the remaining portions
of the Lincoln Mill Building complex.
New business, however,
have been developing all along Meridian in the last several years,
mostly due to the rise in value of the downtown land area and the
redevelopment of Five Points and the historical residential sectors
adjacent to these areas. The City of Huntsville now considers
Meridian Street as part of the downtown redevelopment plan, with
this plan extending all the way to Oakwood Avenue. The area is in
desperate need of restoration and revitalization. There is now a
move to save the area and turn it into a historical mill village
area.
Renaissance Theatre
owner Bob Baker was presented an award in 2001 by the Historic
Huntsville Foundation for the rescue of the old Lincoln Mill Store
Building at 1216 Meridian Street.
Click here to visit a neighborhood church.
Click here to visit the Lincoln Elementary School.
Back to Theatre Pages!
Interested in saving a
piece of Huntsville's history? Write me today!
oldriddle@prodigy.net
All of the 1928 photos were gathered
from a film made in the late 1920's of the Lincoln Mill area and are
the best quality my equipment can do with them. This page is the
project of Robert Riddle Baker and was last updated
06/01/02.
