The City of Porterdale, Georgia, located on the banks of the Yellow River, is a classic example of an early 20th century Southern mill town. Very few, if any, other communities can claim to be an original mill town as intact as Porterdale. The layout of the village, the exterior of most of the houses, and the downtown area has remained relatively unchanged since the 1930s. With the exception of a few areas on the edges, the entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Recognizing the cultural and economic importance of its unique character, Porterdale is working to ensure its future by preserving and revitalizing its historic past by repurposing old buildings like the mill and gymnasium, boosting the local economy with efforts like the "Main Street" program, and by creating incentives for new home owners to move into the historic village.
The story of Porterdale began with the 1821 Georgia Land Lottery which also resulted in the creation of the City of Covington and Newton County. A community known as Cedar Shoals, because of the cedar trees that grew along the shoals of the Yellow River, developed in what was until then part of Henry and Rockdale Counties. By 1826 business establishments in the settlement included a gristmill, blacksmith shop, saw mill, and small country store, all of which were owned by Samuel J. Bryan of Chatham County. The settlement consisted of seven houses. One of these original houses, built of rock, still stand at 20 S. Broad Street. The earliest known reference to this area refers to Boston Settlement which may have been slightly up river.
In 1831, Noah Phillips, a young man from Litchfield, Connecticut came south in search of land to build a foundry. His inquiries led him to Covington. Here he was told he might be able to purchase land three miles south of Covington on the Yellow River near a settlement called Cedar Shoals. With his brother-in-law, John Persall, they purchased land near the settlement and one-half interest in foundry from Samuel J. Bryan with the promise Bryan would continue to run the foundry for one year.
In 1835 with a capital of forty thousand dollars, they erected a factory for wool carding and cotton and called it Cedar Shoals Manufacturing Company. The factory included eleven hundred eighty-four spindles, ten looms and operated with forty-five employees making a salary of $5.75 per month. Operation was from six a.m. to six p.m. Lamps were used for light.
From 1835 through 1863 the property changed ownership several times. in 1871, Oliver S. Porter bought all the property in the settlement from Enoch Steadman for $100,000. Steadman had previously applied for a city charter from the State of Georgia but the town was never incorporated.
One reference indicates that by 1887 there were 18 houses in Porterdale, 14 on the south side of the river and 4 on the north. (John M. Norwood, "The Bibb Recorded", circa 1937)
Oliver Porter owned and operated Cedar Shoals Manufacturing Company until 1890 when J.F. Hanson, O.D. Johnson, and Oliver Porter formed Porterdale Mill, Inc. with Hanson as president and Porterd as secretary. With the naming of the mills, the village also took the name of Porterdale.
Oliver and Julia Porter had three sons, John, James, and O.W. and two daughter, Mary Erin and Miss Charley: Mary Erin died as a teenager. All the Porter children were educated in schools in Covington and further their education at Emory College in Oxford, Georgia.
While attending college, they also worked in the mills. James followed his father's interest and returned to work in the mills upon graduating from college. John was more interested in the welfare of the employees and so his father made him overseer of the village. O.W. (Wick) was in charge of the company store. Miss Charley, with her mother, was busy seeing to the needs of the sick.
The town of Porterdale was officially incorporated by vote of the citizens on March 10, 1917.
