Tucapau Mill

Front: Tucapau Mill opened in 1896 on the Middle Tyger River at Penney Shoals by investors including John Montgomery. The mill made cotton cloth using a water wheel powered by the Middle Tyger River. In 1902 a dam and power plant were built at Berry Shoals. A village built by the mill at first included a store, a school, and 33 houses. Later, 350 houses filled the village. A Baptist, Methodist, and Church of God all were built. An elementary school was constructed in 1900. Reverse: The mill village was self-sufficient, with a mill store, post office, movie theater, café, churches, and three-story community building. Organizations included a Textile League baseball team, Masonic Lodge, and Scouts. Following the Depression and labor strikes of the 1930s, Walter Montgomery bought the mill in 1936 and changed the name to Startex. At its height in the 1960s the mill employed 1,100 workers. Demand for U.S. textiles declined and the mill closed in 1997.