EVANSVILLE COTTON MILLÂ
by Pat Sides FOR WILLARD LIBRARY
A few years after the Civil War ended, the Evansville Cotton Manufacturing Company was built on seventeen acres west of St. Joseph Avenue near Ohio Street, employing at its peak nearly a thousand women and older children, who operated 50,000 spindles and 1,200 looms. In 1889, a local newspaper reported that the company was the largest cotton mill in the South or West, but labor problems led to its demise by 1910. This photo shows a group of business leaders who are inspecting the abandoned mill for possible use as a country club. Part of the old mill was incorporated into the Mead Johnson Company when it acquired the site in 1915.
FOOTNOTES: We want to thank Patricia Sides, Archivist of Willard Library for contributing this picture that shall increase people’s awareness and appreciation of Evansville’s rich history. If you have any historical pictures of Vanderburgh County or Evansville please contact please contact Patricia Sides, Archivist Willard Library at 812) 425-4309, ext. 114 or e-mail her at www.willard.lib.in.us.
