Mountain Mills, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mountain Mills, Alabama
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 Mountain Mills, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Mountain Mills, Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Colbert |
| Elevation | 541 ft (165 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 256 & 938 |
| GNIS feature ID | 166023 |
Mountain Mills is a small, unincorporated community located in Colbert County, Alabama. An unincorporated community means it's a place with a shared identity but no official local government. It was once a busy place because of a cotton mill.
History of Mountain Mills
In 1872, a group of people in Colbert County, including N. F. Cherry, decided to start a business called the Mountain Mill Company. Their goal was to build a cotton mill. A cotton mill is a factory where raw cotton is turned into thread and cloth.
Before Mountain Mills, there was another mill nearby called the Globe Factory in Florence, Alabama. This factory was burned down in 1863 during the American Civil War by soldiers from the 10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. It was later rebuilt and known as the Cypress Mill.
When the Cypress Mill closed in 1886, some of its machines and workers moved to the new Mountain Mills operation. The Mountain Mills cotton mill started working in 1886. It was owned by W. H. Cherry & Co. This mill used steam power to run its machines.
The mill had 6,000 spindles and 41 cards. These are special machines used to prepare cotton and spin it into yarn. The mill made different types of yarn. This yarn was then sold in big cities like Philadelphia, New York City, and Providence, Rhode Island.
The community around the mill grew to have over 300 people. It also had its own church and a school for the children. However, the mill at Mountain Mills closed down in 1893. After it closed, the machinery was moved to Florence, Alabama. It became part of a new factory called the Cherry Cotton Mill.
A post office also served the Mountain Mills community. It was open from 1883 until 1893, the same year the mill closed.
