On Thursday, August 27, at 7:00 p.m., Bartow History Museum welcomes guest speaker Dr. Randy Patton. Patton will discuss the origins and development of the tufted bedspread industry of northwest Georgia and the role played by Bartow Textiles and the Bandy family.
Chenille describes bedspreads and other goods decorated with work called tufting. Throughout much of the 20th century, spread factories and private makers created goods using this method and hung them on lines along the Dixie Highway, luring travelers to purchase their wares. At first a true cottage industry, chenille soon became a major enterprise in northwest Georgia, eventually leading to the manufacture of tufted carpet. Cartersville’s own Bartow Textiles became a major tufted textiles producer in the 1940s.
Dr. Patton, a history professor at Kennesaw State University, has researched and written extensively on the subject of textile history in northwest Georgia, including on Catherine Evans Whitener who is considered the creator of the tufted textile industry.
The Evening Lecture will take place at the Bartow History Museum located at 4 E. Church Street in downtown Cartersville. Parking is available next to the building. The lecture is free to members and included with the price of admission for not-yet members. For more information on this and other BHM programs, call 770-382-3818, ext. 6286 or visit our website at www.bartowhistorymuseum.org.