The textile industry at one time was the lifeblood of the economy in West Georgia and a meeting will be held in Rome today to celebrate that history.

The West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail is a heritage tourism initiative that explores the rich heritage of the textile industry from Dalton to Columbus along the Highway 27 corridor.

The Trail highlights historic communities that played a vital role in the cotton, hosiery, apparel, chenille, and carpet industries.

Today's meeting has been designed to bring together those interested in telling their textile stories, according to Keri Adams, WGTHT co-director.

“We think it’s a good place, not just to connect with Rome especially, but a historical meeting place,” she said. “We are meeting at the Chieftains Museum in one of the old Tubize-Chatillon-Celanese mill manager’s house. That’s really a special place to meet, but also for other people that were tied in the textile in industry or that help share and preserve these stories from the Northwest Georgia region are all coming to be a part of this regional meeting.”

Pre-registration for the meeting has already closed and space is limited.

“What we are planning to do in the future is have more localized meeting in specific cities and towns like Rome and meeting with former mill operatives, employees, or managers, people who are associated with local institutions and organizations like historical societies,” Adams said. “That is what we want to do in the future and that would definitely be more informal and open to as many people as we can get together.”

To learn more about the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail organization, visit westgatextiletrail.com.

 

Tentative Regional Meeting Schedule — Rome, GA: Saturday, March 5, 2016

 

• 9:15-9:45 a.m. Coffee and Refreshments

• 9:45-10:00 a.m. Welcome from WGTHT Staff and Meeting Host

• 10:00-11:00 a.m. Session 1: Storytelling

 

o Brad Hayes, Social Studies and Special Education Teacher at Eastbrook Middle School in Dalton and a historian of Trion Mill

o Leon Shiver, Anchor Duck reunion organizer

o Tim Reynolds, Restoration Lindale

o Lydia Simpson, Doctoral Candidate at Middle Tennessee State University and historian of Tubize Chatillon/Celanese Mill of Rome

 

• 11:00-11:15 a.m. Break

• 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Session 2: Marketing Panel

 

o Janet Cochran, Regional Tourism Project Manager for Historic High Country for GDED

o Debby Long, Director of Operations of the Dalton Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau

o Leigh Barba, Executive Director of the Rome Area History Museum

o Kristi Kent, Communication Director of Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau

 

• 12:15-1:00 p.m. Networking Lunch

• 1:00-1:45 p.m. Regional Roundtable

• 1:45 -2:00 p.m. Closing Statements

• 2:00 p.m. Textile History Tour (optional)

 

o Chieftains Museum, Kamil McElwee