-Home of the mills-
the augusta canal
In 1845, with the initiation of the Augusta Canal Project, a local Augusta farmer and industrialist James L. Coleman, asked that the canal route be shifted in order to supply his plantation with water power for his planned flour mill. By 1847, the canal was completed and would eventually house many factories and powder works seeing that Augusta was selected as the location for the Confederate State Powder Works.
-MEET THE MILLS-
Enterprise mill
In 1847, the Augusta canal was shifted via request of local Augusta farmer and industrialist James L. Coleman which allowed for the construction of his four-story “Coleman’s Flour Mill,” also known as “Coleman’s Granite Mill.” The mill was completed in the year 1848. These factory jobs attracted many farm families to Augusta, thus, promoting the presence of the people responsible for the way of life and traditional customs in Augusta. The canal was enlarged in 1875 when Augusta businessmen formed the Enterprise Manufacturing Co. Beginning in the year 1877, with a newly established added brick textile mill, the granite mill began its endless journey of exponential expansion.
The mill faced turbulence in the 1880s, and subsequently shut down in 1884. By the early 1900s, Augusta was a leading textile-manufacturing city in the South. Eventually, the first electrical generation equipment was introduced and Augusta became the first southern city to boast the dawn of the electric age, gradually rendering hydro-mechanical power obsolete. Fortunately, prosperity returned and the company constructed additional buildings, including a weaving room (c. 1888), starch warehouse (c. 1890), the cloth warehouse (c. 1900) and a workers smoking building (c. 1920). In 1923, the Graniteville Co. acquired Sibley Mill and a controlling interest in Enterprise Mill. Later in 1936, the two operations combined under the Graniteville Co. Enterprise Mill and operated as a textile mill until it closed its doors officially in 1983. By the mid-20th century, the canal entered a period of neglect. Many other textile factories began to close, and the center of Augusta’s industrial activity shifted south of the city.
Enterprise Mill was abandoned for roughly fourteen years until the day it saw light again in 1997 when a local businessman, Clayton P. Boardman, invested all he had on faith. Boardman began extensive renovations on the interior, exterior, and reconstruction of the entire establishment. This included the removal of over 5,000 tons of non-historic debris. Thanks to the entrepreneurship of Boardman and his dream, Enterprise Mill is a multifaceted contribution to the soul of the Augusta City. Enterprise Mill is now a thriving office, retail, residential center, and the location of the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Interpretive Center. It is now a beautiful and rustic venue for weddings, ceremonies, and special occasions. Presently, the grand Enterprise Mill preserves the history of mill life and Augusta as a result of the canal, and it reminds Augustans and visitors of the promise of progress, downfall, and resurrection. Enterprise Mill has reflected Augusta’s history for an impressive 171 years and continues to embody the values of Augusta as it serves as a foundation for timeless memories.
The mill faced turbulence in the 1880s, and subsequently shut down in 1884. By the early 1900s, Augusta was a leading textile-manufacturing city in the South. Eventually, the first electrical generation equipment was introduced and Augusta became the first southern city to boast the dawn of the electric age, gradually rendering hydro-mechanical power obsolete. Fortunately, prosperity returned and the company constructed additional buildings, including a weaving room (c. 1888), starch warehouse (c. 1890), the cloth warehouse (c. 1900) and a workers smoking building (c. 1920). In 1923, the Graniteville Co. acquired Sibley Mill and a controlling interest in Enterprise Mill. Later in 1936, the two operations combined under the Graniteville Co. Enterprise Mill and operated as a textile mill until it closed its doors officially in 1983. By the mid-20th century, the canal entered a period of neglect. Many other textile factories began to close, and the center of Augusta’s industrial activity shifted south of the city.
Enterprise Mill was abandoned for roughly fourteen years until the day it saw light again in 1997 when a local businessman, Clayton P. Boardman, invested all he had on faith. Boardman began extensive renovations on the interior, exterior, and reconstruction of the entire establishment. This included the removal of over 5,000 tons of non-historic debris. Thanks to the entrepreneurship of Boardman and his dream, Enterprise Mill is a multifaceted contribution to the soul of the Augusta City. Enterprise Mill is now a thriving office, retail, residential center, and the location of the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Interpretive Center. It is now a beautiful and rustic venue for weddings, ceremonies, and special occasions. Presently, the grand Enterprise Mill preserves the history of mill life and Augusta as a result of the canal, and it reminds Augustans and visitors of the promise of progress, downfall, and resurrection. Enterprise Mill has reflected Augusta’s history for an impressive 171 years and continues to embody the values of Augusta as it serves as a foundation for timeless memories.
Sibley mill
At the start of the Civil War, the Confederacy was experiencing a shortage of gunpowder supplies. The Confederacy decided to amend the shortage by producing a local supply of gunpowder by constructing The Confederate Powder Works that lined the Augusta Canal for two miles, beginning in 1862. The materials for this important component of the Civil War came from the southern states, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. The plant was designed and is remembered for its manufacturing efficiency. Its most prominent structures are its refinery, which was built to resemble the British house of Parliament, and its smokestack chimney in the shape of an obelisk.
The Confederate Powder Works was the single permanent building to be constructed by the Confederate States of America and remained in operation until 1865. The Augusta Powder Works fully met the needs of the Confederate armies by producing about 7,000 pounds of gunpowder daily. In its lifetime, the powder works produced a final total of 2,750,000 pounds for the Confederacy and retained a surplus of 70,000 pounds by the end of the Civil War. After the Civil War ended, the Federal Government confiscated the powder works, and by 1872, the entire edifice was deemed useless and demolished during the widening of the Augusta Canal it stood on.
In 1880, a group of local businessmen formed the Sibley Manufacturing Company as an early cotton mill development project. Some of the original brick from the demolition of the powder works was used in the construction of what is now known as Sibley Mill. The local architect, Enoch William Brown, worked to preserve the original appearance of the powder works by ensuring that the mill resembled the medieval castle appearance of the powder works. The Sibley Family Coat of Arms was emblazoned on the mills visible towers. Immediately, the mill became one of the largest and most successful cotton mills in the region and served as a model for the rest of the United States.
Eventually, the Sibley Mill became a part of the Graniteville Mills and continued operation as a cotton mill until 2006. Local businessman Clayton Boardman, who successfully rehabilitated the Enterprise Mill in the 1990s as living, recreation, and office space, acquired the Sibley in 2007.
Today, the Sibley Mill plays a role in many of the narrative of locals and non-locals. When the mill modernized to meet the expanding world market, it first became one of the leading manufacturers of denim used by major clothing manufacturers, one being Levi Strauss Jeans. Consumers of the Levi brand denim jeans up until the early 2000s have the mill to thank. Currently, the Sibley Mill is no longer used for the production of textiles, but the mill’s water-driven turbines still generate electricity. This electricity is currently sold to Georgia Power. The mill provides Cape Augusta with electricity and water to power and cool electronic equipment. In this way, Sibley Mill has shaped Augusta by helping the economy to develop and allow its inhabitants to sustain themselves. Sibley Mill, throughout all of its glory and contemporary impact, stands as a memorial to those who fought and died in the Confederacy.
The Confederate Powder Works was the single permanent building to be constructed by the Confederate States of America and remained in operation until 1865. The Augusta Powder Works fully met the needs of the Confederate armies by producing about 7,000 pounds of gunpowder daily. In its lifetime, the powder works produced a final total of 2,750,000 pounds for the Confederacy and retained a surplus of 70,000 pounds by the end of the Civil War. After the Civil War ended, the Federal Government confiscated the powder works, and by 1872, the entire edifice was deemed useless and demolished during the widening of the Augusta Canal it stood on.
In 1880, a group of local businessmen formed the Sibley Manufacturing Company as an early cotton mill development project. Some of the original brick from the demolition of the powder works was used in the construction of what is now known as Sibley Mill. The local architect, Enoch William Brown, worked to preserve the original appearance of the powder works by ensuring that the mill resembled the medieval castle appearance of the powder works. The Sibley Family Coat of Arms was emblazoned on the mills visible towers. Immediately, the mill became one of the largest and most successful cotton mills in the region and served as a model for the rest of the United States.
Eventually, the Sibley Mill became a part of the Graniteville Mills and continued operation as a cotton mill until 2006. Local businessman Clayton Boardman, who successfully rehabilitated the Enterprise Mill in the 1990s as living, recreation, and office space, acquired the Sibley in 2007.
Today, the Sibley Mill plays a role in many of the narrative of locals and non-locals. When the mill modernized to meet the expanding world market, it first became one of the leading manufacturers of denim used by major clothing manufacturers, one being Levi Strauss Jeans. Consumers of the Levi brand denim jeans up until the early 2000s have the mill to thank. Currently, the Sibley Mill is no longer used for the production of textiles, but the mill’s water-driven turbines still generate electricity. This electricity is currently sold to Georgia Power. The mill provides Cape Augusta with electricity and water to power and cool electronic equipment. In this way, Sibley Mill has shaped Augusta by helping the economy to develop and allow its inhabitants to sustain themselves. Sibley Mill, throughout all of its glory and contemporary impact, stands as a memorial to those who fought and died in the Confederacy.