-Chapter V- GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Industry & Transportation - Industry
Murray County has changed tremendously since the end of World War II. Several factors such as population shifts, a different labor force, increased technology, and a decline in agriculture contributed to the change, but the coming of the textile industry was the principal cause of growth in the county.
The first Chatsworth-Murray County Chamber of Commerce billed the area as the "Home of the Nation's Talc Industry" in the late 1940's. This group's promotional brochure called Murray "a good place to work, to play, and to live." However this Chamber seemed to "under sell" Murray saying in their brochure that "there are several chenille plants, a factory manufacturing wood boxes, a large lumber industry, a metal working plant, two mattress factories, two freezer locker plants, several small wood working plants, and last but not least three talc processing plants." However they added that the labor supply "for small plants" was available and said:
"Murray County" is served by the Georgia Power Company, TVA, L&N Railroad and Mason & Dixon Truck Lines and is located within 25 hours by air, rail or motor freight of 51 percent of the people in the nation. Also the seaports of Savannah and Brunswick . . . are not too far away."
This Chamber of Commerce was "dragging its feet" according to the late R.E. Chambers, so in 1955 a new group called "Chatsworth Enterprises" was formed. Bi-weekly meetings and the leadership of bank president Chambers kept this group busy and active. They were more aggressive than the earlier organization and headlined their promotional flyer "We Want a New Factory." The "Enterprisers" got the backing of the city government to actively seek businesses to locate in Murray which was no longer just a "good place," but an "ideal place to work, play, and live." In an impressive 1980's-style report the Enterprise Club gave detailed information about climate, water and sewage treatment facilities, labor supply. government, availability of utilities, existing manufacturing establishments*, and even included diagrams of available building sites. Chats-worth Enterprises' was extremely active into the 1960's, but disbanded in the early 1970's.
In 1966 a special amendment to the Georgia constitution created a seven-member Industrial Development Authority whose purpose was to promote and expand industry, agriculture, and trade; to make long-range plans for such development and (expansion; and to authorize the use of county funds for such purposes. Early Authority members were R.E. Chambers, Billy Brindle, John C. Webb, James Lou-ighridge, H. Barren Brooks, J.W. Yarborough and Sam Calhoun, Jr. The Development Authority now consists of Johnny West. Robert Anderson, Richard Barnes, Neil Ingle, Tucker Brown, Ron Moreland, and Barren Brooks.
About the same time, Chatsworth Industries, Inc., a group formed in 1957 to encourage real estate development, became more active. W.W. Fincher was president of the corporation and R.E. Chambers served as secretary-treasurer. Over the years m^ore than 30 Murray County businesspeople invested in the projects financed by Chatsworth Industries. Directors at various times were S.D. Rogers, Edwin Wilbanks, Sarn Calhoun, Mildred Brown, Jack Greeson and Frederick A. Brovwn. This group financed the construction of several textile-related plants including a new Ten-Tex, a firm that manufactured tufting machinery and parts, Fort Mountain Spinners, and others.
In November, 1965 four stockholders in Chatsworth Industries—Barron Brooks, Tucker Brown, W.C. Bradley, and R.E. Chambers-purchased the old J.A. Howard farm on the outskirts of town. By 1968 Murray Industrial Park was part of the City of Chatsworth and the home of Fort Mountain Tufters, Southeastern Carpets, and Trinity Carpets as well. Chatsworth Industries continued to provide funds for new ventures until 1980. The next year, on June 10, stockholders received this letter from Secretary-Treasurer R.E. Chambers:
Dear Stockholders:
We are concluding liquidation of Chatsworth Industries, Inc.
You can take just pride in the progress you have assisted in by your Investment in the Chatsworth Industries, Inc., as the Corporation has been successful in locating a number of new industries in Chatsworth and Murray County when we only had the talc and lumber mills at that time.
Our population has more than doubled and that has been the incentive for other lines of business such as super markets and other merchandise and service establishments to locate here, increasing our tax digest and furnishing employment to many people.
While we didn't expect to make any profit on our investment, I am pleased to enclose a check for more than double the amount of your original investment. I join you in celebrating a job 'Veil done," and trust that Chatsworth and Murray County will continue to be the "Garden Spot" of our state and the New South and fulfill our slogan of: "A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY."
Sincerely Yours,
R.E. Chambers
While Chatsworth Industries gave the textile industry a much needed boost, "spreadhouses" and "rug plants" on a smaller scale had been around for several years. In the early 1940'a Frank and Fannie McCarty founded McCarty Chenille in Chatsworth. The company became a leading carpet manufacturer and moved to Dalton in 1949. The following year, Barwick Mills bought the company. Crown Chenille came to Murray County in 1941 and remained the largest and most successful spread business for over 40 years. Boyles Custom Rug was established in 1951,
Since then countless carpet businesses have existed in Murray County. Many are small family operations—maybe even a single machine in an old chicken house—while others are large corporations. There is no way to list all of the textile enterprises, but a few do bear mention.
On the occasion of their 10th anniversary Galaxy Carpets founders Irv Pomerantz, Irv Harvey, Charles Bramlett, and Murray County's own Bobby Hosteller wrote the following about the funding of their ultra successful company.
"Galaxy . . . was founded by the four of us who had a dream about owning our own company (we flipped a coin and Harvey lost, so he became President) . . . Galaxy was incorporated ... on April 11, 1968, and we introduced our first line at the June Market that year in Chicago. ... the entire story [of Galaxy) is kept in a series of scrapbooks . , . there is a great deal ... to relate . . . Like our first Board meeting at Wilson's General Store in Tennga, Georgia, with the four of us sitting on orange crates eating bologna and cheese sandwiches, LIKE the 67 rolls of carpet we sold at the first Market (half of which we believe were later cancelled and almost caused us to slit our throats). LIKE buying out one of our original partners before we might have thrown him out of the 13th floor window of the Merchandise Mart, because he wanted us to sell his retail stores at cost. LIKE the completion of our original 32,00 square foot plant in January of 1969. LIKE being a breath away from going broke later that year until Pornerantz and Harvey got off their fannies and went out and sold some rolls. LIKE going public in 1972-a thrill that comes once in a lifetime. LIKE the confidence that Mr. Frank Cole of Walter E. Heller had in us to loan !-! us the funds with which to grow in the early years. LIKE the confidence that four other individuals (three of them brothers and one a big left-handed hitter from the East) had in our new little company shortly after it began-to invest a substantial ,• amount of money in its future.
LIKE all the great carpets that got us to where we are: Spaceway, Lightening, Caravel, Tranquility, Serenity, Skyway, Waikiki, Crescendo, Wildcat, Innovation, Wind Song, Vista, and even Polly and Esther which were two of our very first carpets, named that way because no one would tell us Polyester yarn, and so many others. LIKE Bobby and Charlie staying up all Saturday night before the Sunday opening that June of 1968 to complete our samples-how many times that has happened since!! LIKE all the expansions over the years (we should have opened our own construction company at the very beginning). LIKE all the thrills of large orders, and the traumas and heartaches they often caused also. LIKE the opening of new warehouses and showrooms which now blanket these entire United States. LIKE selling our first order overseas. LIKE receiving our first order overseas back! LIKE opening our own dye house, and then our own heat set plant, and then acquiring our own spinning mill.
LIKE all the wonderful laughs we had together, from the very first day till now, during good times and bad. The bad never seemed to interfere with our senses of humor (and thank God for that, since surely it was all that kept us going at times).
And last, but most important, LIKE all the wonderful people who have conlri-buted so greatly to the success of this company, many of whom are still with us, and some of whom have left us for one reason or another (and especially the five besides ourselves who have been with us since year one). To all of them and all of you belongs the real success of Galaxy, and we are forever grateful.
-Galaxy Universe, 1978
Galaxy has not only benefitted Murray County by providing hundreds of jobs, but also with its generosity in civic and community projects.
Diamond Carpet Mills, begun in 1970 by Ed Weaver, was the second largest privately owned carpet mill in the country by 1983. At that time the business included "four plants totaling 1,000,000 square feet spread over some 300 acres from Calhoun to Eton to Chatsworth."
Other noteworthy carpet enterprises of the past and present include Majestic, Candlewick (1968), Dixie (1968), Caradon (1972), Cascade (1970), Chatsworth (1966), D&W (1969), Executive (1970), Fort Mountain Spinners (1965), Highland (1969), Howard (1971), Kerobi (1969), Kendrick (1972), Mica (1971), Playfield (1971), Prestigue (1973), Yarnset (1972), Better Backers, Cumberland (1973), and Trinity (1967).
Other Industries in addition to mining, agriculture, services, lumber, and textiles, Murray County boasts other industries. In 1981 oil companies such as Freeport sought oil leases here and in 1985-86 the county was considered as a possible location for a proposed pumped storage hydroelectric facility. Earlier, in 1978, officials announced that Eton had been selected as the site for the $6.5 million facility of Emerson Electric's Browning Manufacturing Division. Since its opening the Plant has produced a wide range of power transfer equipment to world markets.
Browning is one of several more recent additions to the diversification of Murray's industry.
The present-day Chatsworth-Murray County Chamber of Commerce has worked successfully to bring and keep businesses to the area as well as to improve education of the population through Drop-Out Prevention and Business "Adopt-a-School" programs.
The Chamber along with the Northwest Georgia Travel Association has also boosted the tourist industry in Murray County. However, the Vann House Historic Site and the annual Appalachian Wagon Train have been drawing visitors to this area for many years.
Begun and led by C.W. Bradley the Wagon Train is sponsored by the Murray County Saddle Club. The first event, in July 1960, and several successive ones included an actual wagon "train" across the mountain to Ellijay. Later the route was changed and in 1975 the site was moved to the new Saddle Club grounds east of Chatsworth, Frontier Week. Pilot Club ice cream sales, street dances, and visits from celebrities and famous Georgians like Kitty Wells, Junior Samples, George T. Smith, Zell Miller, Ed Jenkins, Sarn Caldwell, Tommy Irvin. Hal Suit, and Lester Maddox became part of Murray County's heritage.
Murray County Heritage