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LATE
19th CENTURY
SOCIETY & AMUSEMENTS
Although Columbus was a theatre town from its founding days, the city’s
performing arts took a new step forward with the building of the Springer
Opera House in 1871. By the end of the century, many famous performers had
appeared at the Springer, among them Oscar Wilde, as well as local music
stars “Blind Tom” Wiggins and Ma Rainey.
FALL
AND RISE OF
TEXTILE INDUSTRIES
Although Federal forces burned the bulk of Southern textile mills in 1865,
by the end of the century the industry had rebounded to the point at which
the South replaced New England as the nation’s leading locale for
textile mills. In the Chattahoochee Valley, the Eagle Mill rose from the
ashes in 1866 as Eagle and Phenix Mills, the added name to signify its
rebirth.
EMERGENCE
OF AN
URBAN WORKING CLASS
In addition to machinery and waterpower, operating a textile mill required
labor and capital. Mill owners depended on low-skilled, low-paid white
labor, and their mills attracted workers from rural areas. For most families,
the move to the mills marked an enduring break with rural life. Over time,
they came to think of themselves as a distinct new class of “cotton
mill people.” This shift led to the rise in the Valley’s urban
population by the end of the century, and to the growth of Columbus’
business, commercial and residential sectors.
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| The Springer Opera House opened in 1871. |
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| The Eagle Mill rose from the ashes of a fire in 1866
as Eagle and Phenix Mills, the added name to signify its rebirth.
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| This photograph depicts children working in Columbus’s
riverfront textile mills. Young girls were often given the task of
delivering the midday meal to their family members who were working
in the mills. |
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| In 1849, “Blind Tom”
Wiggins was born blind and autistic into slavery in Columbus. The
only sign of intelligence was his interest in sounds and an uncanny
ability to mimic them. By the age of six, Tom had started improvising
on the piano and creating his own musical compositions. By the age
of nine, Tom was separated from his family and exhibited throughout
hundreds of cities on a rigorous four-shows-per-day schedule. His
prodigious talent soon earned him widespread popularity and critical
acclaim. |
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What did people think about Blind Tom? This newspaper
might tell you. This issue of the Daily Columbus Enquirer included
an advertisement of Blind Tom’s concert at Temperance Hall,
Columbus, Georgia, as well as an article about him. |
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| Treasures:
Celebrating 175 Years in the Chattahoochee Valley explores
the cultural and economic transformations that pushed Columbus from
a frontier settlement on the banks of the Chattahoochee River to a
thriving industrial and regional center. A fascinating assortment
of historic objects, artifacts and documents enables viewers to witness
ways in which those changes affected people's lives in the 19th and
20th centuries. The exhibition is on view from September 14, 2003
to January 18, 2004. The exhibition
is sponsored by MeadWestvaco. |
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