Save the Remerton Mill! Ransom Gladwin

Monday, 03 September 2012

Save the Remerton Mill! —Ransom Gladwin

LTE in the VDT yesterday. -jsq

Part of my teaching load as a professor consists of supervising student teachers at schools throughout Valdosta State University's 46-county service area. I have traveled many South Georgia back roads. What was once a charming rural landscape of unique little towns has slowly morphed into sameness. Chain-brand retail stores, fast food, and gas stations are interrupted by strip malls and storage units. The region's character has receded in the face of nationalization and globalization. However, historical features, be they a restored courthouse or a crumbling tobacco barn, light this bleakness. They give character, history, and pride to communities. One such structure is Remerton's Strickland Mill, now in danger of complete destruction.

As a member of the Save the Strickland Mill Committee of the Valdosta Heritage Foundation, we recently toured the mill, with the approval of the owners and accompanied by Remerton officials. The original mill is structurally solid. The 1899 structure reflects

the craftsmanship of its time, when construction was built to last. The interior original mill has stood for 113 years, and I fully believe it would stand for another century, while today's urban sprawl crumbled around it. The Remerton Mill is the last standing textile mill in South Georgia. The mill is the seal, symbol, and soul of Remerton. It is a local treasure that deserves to be preserved. The mill was a place of the people, where entire families lived, worked, played, and died. Its history is the history of us. Once it is gone, it is gone forever.

There is only one way the mill will be saved, and that is by the City of Remerton, the owners, and mill advocates coming together. The mill owners bought the property in 2005. Property values have fallen. An alternate plan needs to be reached to allow the owners to get out what they put into it. However, the current request for the total demolition of the mill is unacceptable. The owners are all local citizens that saved the mill once, I ask for them to save it again. To area residents, check out Facebook ( Save Strickland Mill) and petitionsite.com ( Save the Strickland Cotton Mill from demolition!) and the WCTV news story ( Residents Fight to Save the Remerton Mill).

But, above all else: come out and show your support for the mill. Attend the Remerton City Council meetings on Sept. 4 and 10 at 5:30 p.m. in Remerton City Hall, 1757 Poplar St. There was great community support evident in June, see YouTube (Save Remerton Mill). Mill advocates have been busy since then and will present our progress and a professional concept plan for the preservation of the 1899 mill, smokestack, and water tower.

To the Remerton City Council: vote to save the mill. Be the one that in 20 years will be able to proudly say to your grandchildren, “Against the odds, I voted to save the mill. I preserved our history. I took a stand for us.”

Ransom Gladwin is a resident of Valdosta.