Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/History
HistoryList

6 Things You Should Know About Warren Clay Coleman, the Man Who Built the Country’s First Black-Owned Textile Mill

Posted byBy Ricky Riley | Published on: CommentsComments (1)

IMG_0007

History

When the mill opened, Coleman hired 300 people to work in his business. The mill was one of the most successful companies in the state, and Coleman receive very positive press for his achievement. From 1901-1904, the mill operated without a hitch. It was more than an economic machine; it was also an incubator for social change, providing a means by which Blacks could do well for themselves in the Jim Crow South. At its peak, the mill was doing so well that Coleman wanted to build a school and provide housing on the site.

wfae_coleman5

Legacy

Coleman died suddenly in 1904, and his dream was no more. The turn of the century was a bad time to be in the textile industry because of inflated prices on cotton. Thus, Coleman’s mill was auctioned off. However, there was still some good to be found. Coleman left behind a community with thriving Black homeowners in the town of Concord. He also left behind Price Memorial AME Zion Church, also in Concord. In addition to his church, a section of U.S. 601 was named Warren C. Coleman Boulevard in 2001. And last year, the location of his mill was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top