Dwight Mill Village

Dwight Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts selected this site in Alabama City for a cotton mill in 1894. The mill and the village covering 240 acres was constructed under the direction of Howard Gardner Nichols. There were 160 New England style cottages in the original construction plan, each home had a distinctive architectural style and color scheme. Later construction brought the total number of homes in the village to 700. This model village was designed with its own schools, public library, bowling alley, a recreational park with bandstand, a baseball field, lakes, bath houses and medical facilities. Dwight Manufacturing Company began production in December 1896. The cotton mill thrived until 1959 when the plant closed.

Gadsden, Alabama · United States