I haven’t done a Weekend Coffee Share for a while because my weekends seem to be hectic! But, today I am doing a Tuesday Coffee Share, so pull up a seat at the remains of the Roswell Manufacturing Company and we’ll have a cuppa and enjoy the beautiful weather! To learn more about what we have been up to in Roswell, look HERE! As we learned, Roswell King came to this area to grow cotton and to make a mill for manufacturing the cotton into shirting, a cloth called onasburg, (a course, heavy fabric), sheeting and yarn. Slaves from his plantation on the coast of Georgia were brought to Roswell to make the mill buildings and most of the buildings in the town and to work in the cotton fields. At the beginning of the Civil War the company owned two cotton mills, a flour mill, a blacksmith shop, a machinery shop, a general store and small apartment-like dwellings for the 400 mill operators. Most of the mill operators were immigrants from Ireland and were women and children. The workers were not paid in cash, but could turn in their earned coupons at the general store, or other shops, which were owned by the company, for their needs. So the families lived in company housing, worked long, hot hours, six days a week, and could spend their earnings only in the company stores! Not the best of situations I am sure…………but, the way it was in the day. The mill prospered and so did the town…………

Here is one of the buildings that housed the workers.

Let’s walk this way and see the grounds as they are today……..

Some of the ruins of the mill are here………..

It is in a very pretty setting……..

Artwork has been added for everyone to enjoy……

Several views of the bridge are coming up……..

and a close-up of the housing…….

Love these lights………they are back in style aren’t they?

Some of the boiler room is still intact……..

So, what happened to the mill when General Sherman marched his troops to the Sea? He burned down everything in Roswell and when he went to the mills the women and children were waiting for him outside. When Sherman’s troops found insignias meant for Southern uniforms in the mill, Sherman concluded they were manufacturing uniforms for the South. He rounded up all 400 women and children, declared them traitors, and had them marched off to prison camps in the North. They were never heard from again…..

We came upon this caretaker and had to get his photo! He keeps the place looking spiffy I must say!

Another reason we came to Atlanta………I was looking for HARDWARE for kitchen cabinets! So we decided on Restoration Hardware in Atlanta. Mind you, the place has seven floors and valet parking…..   We were just a tad overwhelmed……. But, since we were here we decided to look at all the floors of furniture and the tiny, tiny, tiny section of hardware. This is Atlanta’s idea of a Hardware store. This is the view from the Seventh Floor! Sadly, not our cup of tea……

So, we tried another venue in the Old Sears Building, that is now the Ponce Market……..The Ponce Market is a wonderful spot full of cafes, and shops and more cafes and more shops……….

and the building was left very rustic which just adds to its appeal……..

And we had the best time walking around and seeing all the decorations and stopping for more coffee……

and here I found the neatest shop called Rejuvenation that had all the kitchen hardware I ever needed!

I hope you enjoyed our coffee stop today! See you next time in a new spot!