Bedspreads to Broadloom (book review)

Bedspreads to Broadloom by Deaton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This vintage, non-fiction selection (published in 1993) is of local and regional interest for readers who enjoy reading about the topics of tufting and cottage industry, and lifestyles of the Northwest Georgia region ~ specifically of Dalton (the Carpet Capital of the World), Chatsworth, Eton, Calhoun, and surrounding areas. It would well serve genealogists, whose ancestors worked in tufting in North Georgia, to read this book. As topical non-fiction, it is informative and highly entertaining, up to a point. About halfway through, it does get a little dry, detailing the growth of specific large corporations and their CEOs. The book starts with a description of chenille-tufting beginnings, including a brief biography of youthful entrepreneur, Catherine Evans Whitener, locally credited as being the "first" to revive the folk craft of candlewicking (her own variation of it) in Dalton after the Civil War. It then follows the early-to-mid 20th-century growth of the cottage industry of bedspread tufting that led to innovations in broadbeam and broadloom carpet tufting, documenting specific dates of origin and acquisition of companies.

Bedspreads to Broadloom is a "vanity-press" publication and does have earmarks of community bragging. However, it goes beyond being a brag book to document stories, anecdotes and biographies of local textile pioneers, many of whom had spreadhouses on Old Highway 41 ~ an area once known as "Peacock Alley" for all the peacock-themed bedspreads that hung on spreadlines there. OSHA lovers and haters will both shudder and laugh at anecdotes of low-paid, snuff-spitting grannies and children in mountain cabins, tufting away well past midnight by the light of a kerosene lamp; old men converting chicken houses to spreadhouses so they can sell spreads and tinker around with inventions; and early, rather dangerous innovations in textile-manufacturing methods. It really is a wonderful depiction of what hard-scrabble folks will do to earn their keep during hard times. It is indexed and contains about 245 surnames (not counting names of companies, which would add more). It has a glossary of industry terms.

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Peacock Alley: A Community Celebration (by Brookwood School)

(Dalton, Georgia): Brookwood School will present a history event to celebrate the history of Dalton's bedspread and carpet industry. "Peacock Alley: A Community Celebration" will feature art, dance, poetry, and music, and community history. "Simple Gifts" was conceived and directed by Sandra Hughes, with musical accompaniment by Paul Byrum and friends. There will also be photography, spoken word poetry, and guitar by Mason Gavin and Nicky Millwood, along with Community conversation, music, art, video, and a living history exhibit. Creative Arts Guild is a partnering organization.

(Historic background): Dalton, known as the Carpet Capital of the World, is known for the manufacture of tufted carpet. The industry had its beginnings in a humble cottage bedspread industry that started with one handmade bedspread, tufted by Catherine Evans (who later became Catherine Evans Whitener). Evans' bedspreads became so popular with tourists, that Evans devised a folk method of transferring the patterns to speed up the process. Local families sold the spreads to tourists along highway 41, who enjoyed buying them off of spreadlines. One favorite motif was the colorful peacock: hence the nickname, "Peacock Alley," for old U.S. 41. "Simple Gifts," an excerpt from a dance and drama tribute to Catherine Evans Whitener, will be a highlight of the exhibit. Evans was honored by being inducted into Georgia Woman of Achievement in 2001.

(Dates, Location, Information):
This event will be held on Friday, May 1, 2009 at 6:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church, 510 S. Tibbs Road, Dalton, Georgia. For more information, visit the Brookwood School website: http://www.bkwdschool.org/

Presidential Seal in Carpet

Ya can't get away from carpet! Then again, why would you want to? On a trip to Plains, Georgia, the women at the welcome center showed us the Presidential Seal, made of carpet. They were proud that it had actually hung in the oval office during Jimmy Carter's administration, so that it was seen in each presidential address. They mentioned that the carpet was made by a mill in or near Dalton, Georgia (I believe it may have been Calhoun or White, but I've forgotten the plant name). They said they would really like to have a duplicate one made, but didn't know if the mill was still in business.

Most of the smaller mills are either out of business or are now owned by one of the larger mills, Shaw, Mohawk or Beaulieu.

A bit of trivia, I suppose, but interesting to those of us in the Carpet Capital of the World...