In the early 1900’s, several textile mills and warehouses lined Villa Rica’s Main Street. The mills provided an economic stimulus for decades as the transition was made from agricultural to industrial products. The cotton mills paid cash wages, providing needed relief to struggling farm families. The Continental Gin Company installed two automatic hydraulic presses which double cleaned the cotton in Villa Rica’s Cotton Oil Mill. These presses were the first of this type to be installed in the State of Georgia. They served as demonstration models for visitors from throughout the southeast who came to observe the new technology.