Porterdale Georgia Cotton Mill Bibb Manfacturing

1813 - 1814	Oliver Porter served as trustee of the old Mercer University.
1828	The Salem Camp Ground, located about half way between Covington and Porterdale was erected.
1830	It seems that the earliest date remembered was in 1830. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, three miles from the county seat of Covington, Georgia, were a few scattered houses referred to as Boston Settlement.
1830	The Baptist were the first to organize a church with fifty members.
1831, June 14	Joseph Harris granted Phillips and Persall land near the foundry with water privileges sufficient to carry the machinery for wool carding and the cotton factory.
1832	The Baptist built a church located on the road to McDonough, Georgia.
1835 - 1863	Partnerships changed hands many times.
1859, November 19	Charles Camp, a merchant of nearby Covington, purchased one-half interest in the mills from Noah Phillips who had acquired sole ownership of the mills, for eleven thousand dollars. The properties included the grist mill, sawmill, lath mill and the brick buildings for the chair factory. It also included carding machinery with all the water power on premises, known as Cedar Shoals, and all buildings and dwellings therein.
1863, April 4	Charles Camp purchased the other half interest for eighteen thousand dollars.
1869	Oliver S. Porter married Julia A. McCrackin.
1871	Porter Place built by Oliver S. Porter and named, "Cedar Shoals Place"
1871	Oliver S. Porter, acting as guardian of Miss Charley and husband of Julia, sold the estate of Charles Camp in Covington, Georgia and moved his family to Cedar Shoals.
1871, September 19	Oliver Porter and David W. Spence bought from Enoch Steadman, for one hundred thousand dollars, all the property in the settlement, including the brick mill that had been built.
1882	John Wesley Ivey brought his family to Newton County.
1890, July 8	Oliver S. Porter sold to Porterdale Mills eight hundred ten acres. It included the place Mr. Porter then lived, known as Cedar Shoals Place, together with mills, factories, sawmill, houses, machinery, tools and appliances in each, and all of them with water power and privileges connected. The total price of the package was fifty thousand dollars. With the naming of the mills, the village also took the name of Porterdale.
1890, May 27	J. F. Hanson, H. Johnson, and Oliver S. Porter applied for a charter under the name of Porterdale Mills Inc.
1894	The Brannen family built a large two-story boarding house on the South side of the river.
1897, November 16	An agreement between W. T. Smith and J. F. Vining of the first part, and Porterdale Mills, Inc. of the second part, allowed Porterdale ills Inc. to raise the present dam across yellow river to any height they saw fit to increase water supply.
1898, May 6	The Porterdale Mill was purchased by the Bibb Manufacturing Company of Macon, Georgia.
1899	Bibb Manufacturing Company built a twine mill on the North side of the Yellow River and it was named Porterdale Mill.
1899	Cedar Shoals Manufacturing Mill was changed to Welaunee Mill.
1899, May 22	Oliver Porter deeded land to the Central of Georgia Railroad to run tracks into Cedar Shoals.
1900	A two story building was erected that housed the school, and serve as a Community House for civic clubs. The second floor would be used by the Masons, Woodman of the World, Redmen, and the order of the Eastern Star. The first school teacher was Mr. John Cowan
1903	Kindergarten was built on South side of the river. First teacher was Annie Laurie Jefferson, who later became Mrs John Porter.
1904, January 17	C. T. Lummus, with the aid of the pastor of the Liberty Methodist Church, Rev. Baun, organized the first Sunday School in the community.
1914, June 16	Oliver Porter was one of the original commissioners who founded Georgia Tech, and served in that office until his death on this date.
1915	Boy Scouts troops organized.
1915, May 15	Porterdale Woman's Club founded.
1917	Cedar Shoals was incorporated as a town. The vote was on March 10, 1917 and recorded on March 19.
1917, August 18	Mrs. Taylor and her sister, Ethel Belcher, moved to the town and established the first home for teachers in the original office buildings in the South of town.
1917, October 6	Annie Lucille Ivey was born. The author of Diary of a Cotton Mill Girl.
1920	Construction of the Osprey Mill completed. It had a total of over forty thousand spindles and six hundred and sixty-two looms.
1920	150 six-room houses with baths on the back porch constructed.
1920	First basketball court built, outside.
1920, January 31	First edition of the Bibb Recorder published. One year subscription fifty cents.
1921	The boarding house on the South side of the river was sold to Mrs. Effie King.
1921	Purchased the first police uniforms. Two policemen, Mr. Nix and Mr. Thomas.
1923	A girls' dormitory was built on the road leading into the village from Covington. It consisted of twenty-six rooms; dormitory bath on each floor, dining room, parlor and kitchen. It was two floors and heated with steam. This was used to house young women to work in the new Osprey Mill.
1923	Wolf Cubs organized.
1923	A second school was completed that housed the fifth through the ninth grades, Home Economics department and the band room. The School was given the name Pearl Taylor.
1923, October 1	Mr. and Mrs. T. G. Callaway opened a general store in one of the spaces being leased.
1924	Bibb decided to put down sidewalks.
1924, March 24	Presbyterian Church dedicated. Rev. J. F. Brown was the first minister to serve the church.
1925, October 25	The Julia A. Porter Memorial Methodist church dedicated. Bishop Candler gave the dedication.
1926	Six houses on the south side of the river were destroyed by fire. They were six-room houses that were built in 1920.
1926	O. S. Porter College Fund established.
1927, May 16	Graduation of the first class of the junior high school. There were three girls and one boy: Louise Carl, Margaret Cowan, Allie Reynolds and John Statham. All students attended Covington High School to further their education.
1929	Aunt Em Vining, ninety years young, shoveled the first dirt to begin the erection of the Porterdale Baptist Church at the corner of Broad and Palmetto streets.
1929	James Porter decided to give bibles to each person that attended Sunday School a year without missing a Sunday.
1929	Professor E. J. Brown, of Oxford. Georgia was hired as athletic director for Porterdale.
1929	Sportanic Club organized for young men. First President Newt Hinton.
1929	L. L. Freeman was hired as ban director.
1929, September	Four Square Club organized for the men. First President Harold Gates.
1930	Wading pool built, dedicated to Mr. S. J. Yancey.
1930	Class of 1930 built Bench around a tree to honor Pearl Taylor.
1930	Night Hawks Club organized for men working the night shift. First President N. J. Piper.
1931, March 28	Boy Scouts log cabin dedicated.
1932	Callaway's sold the Porterdale store to Lucy White.
1933	Porterdale Band played in the National Recovery Act parade.
1933	New fence put around the Julia Porter baseball park.
1933, October	Mr. G. W. Caldwell and son Lewis, opened the first and only funeral parlor in Porterdale.
1933, September 16	First meeting of the P. T. A.
1934	Union being organized.
1934	Road between Porterdale and Covington named the "O. S. Porter Memorial Road."
1935	Bernys Shaw graduated from Valdosta High School.
1935	The Methodists church on the road leading to Jackson, Georgia, and known as Rocky Plains Road was destroyed by fire in 1935. The church name was Liberty.
1937	Bibb built a school for the black children that lived in Rosehill.
1937	Vogue Salon opened, Porterdale's first beauty parlor.
1938, December 3	First basketball games in the new gym between Porterdale and Livingston boys and girls.
1938, November 25	Gymnasium dedicated in honor of Oliver S. Porter.
1939, April 23	John Porter died.
1939, July 21	Announced that the Porterdale Schools accredited.
1939, May	First high school graduation held in the gym.
1941, June 20	Charlie Porter Library dedicated.
1941, June 5	Maternity hospital was officially opened for business.
1942	The William D. Anderson, activities building was constructed. This building replaced the activities building built in 1900.
1942, March 1	A two-story building dedicated to house all the teachers. It was named "Woot-Lou" honoring both Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Pitman.
1943, December	Frederick Krenson named as editor of the Bibb Recorder.
1943, January 6	Hospital officially opened. Had a new operating room with all the latest equipment installed.
1943, July 30	New bridge across the Yellow River dedicated.
1944, July 5	Bibb turned one of the old warehouses into a cannery with all modern equipment. Miss Ruth Tanner was in charge.
1946	Lucy White opened a "Five and Dime Store" next her Department Store.
1946, January 18	New Organ dedicated in the Julia A. Porter Methodist Church.
1947	B. C. Crowell was employed as athletic director.
1947, May	Clarence Daniel won the Porter Scholarship.
1948, January	Bibb approved building the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ on Hemlock Street. Dedicated 28 November 1948.
1948, May 14	Softball field dedicated and named "Snow's Field", honoring Agent Burris B. Snow, Sr.
1949	Covington News assumed the job of printing the Bibb Recorder from the Macon Telegraph.
1949	First television in Porterdale purchased by William Clifford Ivey.
1949, December 11	Presbyterian Church burned down.
1949, June 13	Mr. James Hyde Porter died.
1949, May 30	Last graduating class in Porterdale. Moved to new Newton County School in Covington.
1950	A new lunch room installed in the basement of the John Porter building. Mrs. Effie Boyd was in charge.
1950, June	Newton County held its first graduation exercise and there were 31 students from Porterdale and three were honor graduates.
1950, November 12	New Presbyterian Church dedicated. Rev. Sidney Anderson, pastor.
1950, October 24	Organized a Morning Division of the Woman's Club so that the ladies working on the second and third shifts could belong.
1951, January	A severe flu epidemic hit Porterdale.
1951, March	Birth of the Birthday calendar.
1951, May 18	Porterdale Woman's Club left on first bus trip, riding in two Callaway Coach Company's buses.
1952	Mr. J. T. (Jim) Cook had an accident in the plant and forced to take retirement.
1952	Mae Hardman chose for the position of Porterdale Social worker. Mae and her family had moved to Porterdale in 1923.
1952, January 1	Bibb announced that they setting up a retirement plan for their employees.
1953, January 9	Boy Scout area named Ivey Park.
1964, April, 20	Bibb decided to sell the houses to the employees. First house sold to Jimmy Cason.
1970, December 11	Last edition of the Bibb Recorder.
1990, May 1	Lucy White's Enterprise closed doors.

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