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From Kincaid to 1888 Mills: The Rise, Legacy, and Final Chapter of Towel-Making in Griffin, Georgia
Blue-collar grit. Cotton dust in the air. Shuttle looms humming in a Georgia mill village. 1888 Mills’ history begins with Kincaid Manufacturing in Griffin, Georgia, and travels through the proud era of Dundee Mills, the acquisition years, the 1990s rebirth as 1888 Mills, and the bittersweet 2024 plant closure.
This is a story about American ingenuity, community, and the long fight to keep towels made in USA.
✅ On this page, you’ll find:
- The history of Kincaid Manufacturing and American terry mills
- A clear timeline from Kincaid Manufacturing (1888) to Dundee Mills to 1888 Mills
- How Griffin, Georgia became the Towel City of the South
- The 1990s rebirth and the vision behind 1888 Mills
- Why a company committed to American-made textiles closed its U.S. terry mill
- Archival highlights, worker life, and the legacy left behind
- What’s next for American-made bath towels
🧵 Perfect for:
- Readers who value American manufacturing and hometown industry
- Students, researchers, and history buffs exploring Southern textile heritage
- Classrooms learning about American manufacturing history
- Shoppers curious about towels made in USA and why so few remain
- Former mill families and anyone connected to Griffin’s industrial story
Griffin’s mills stitched more than towels. They stitched identity. Each generation carried the sound of the looms in its memory, a rhythm that told the story of work, pride, and American resolve.
I’ll walk you through the people, plants, and pivotal moments that made 1888 Mills history a century-plus American saga, then close with a thoughtful look at what the 2024 closure means for workers, communities, and the future of American-made home textiles.
Early Days: Kincaid Manufacturing and Griffin’s First Towel Era
Before 1888 Mills, before Dundee, and long before American towels became household staples, there was Kincaid Manufacturing in Griffin, Georgia.
The story begins in a cotton town ready to trade raw fiber for finished goods and carve its own place in the nation’s growing textile industry. What started as a small Southern mill would help spark a movement in American-made towels that stretched far beyond Georgia’s borders.
A Growing American Industry: Early American Towel Production
Before 1888, very few U.S. companies were making terry towels domestically. The market was still dominated by imports from England, where the loop-pile weaving technique was first introduced.
New England mills such as Pepperell and Wamsutta were major linen producers and later offered towels; in the South, Cannon accelerated terry finishing by 1898.
- Pepperell Manufacturing Co. (Biddeford, Maine) produced cotton sheeting and by the 1890s offered its own line of “Pepperell Turkish Towels.”
- Cannon Manufacturing Co. (Concord, North Carolina) was founded in 1887 and introduced Cannon Towels around 1898. It became Kincaid’s largest Southern competitor.
- Fieldcrest Mills originated from Marshall Field & Co.’s textile operations in the early 20th century and acquired Cannon Mills in 1986, forming Fieldcrest Cannon.
- Smaller producers like Stevens Linen Works (Massachusetts) and Wamsutta Mills (New Bedford, MA) also wove limited terry products, though most specialized in bed linens.
When Kincaid Manufacturing began weaving towels in Griffin, Georgia, in 1888, it joined a very small circle of domestic producers, and it was among the first to succeed south of the Mason-Dixon line. Its success signaled a turning point in U.S. textile history, and Griffin quickly gained a reputation for craftsmanship that rivaled the best New England mills.
Cannon Manufacturing is credited with producing the first towel finished in the South in 1898, helping broaden American terry output.
Spinning a Legacy: A Cotton Town Learns to Weave
While northern mills experimented with mechanization, Griffin, Georgia built its strength on community and skill. The town was bustling with cotton gins, rail lines, and entrepreneurs eager to turn raw cotton into finished goods. Griffin had the resources, the workers, and the determination to make something lasting.
That drive took shape in 1888, when Kincaid Manufacturing began weaving terrycloth, offering a Southern-made alternative to imports.
As the company grew, so did local finishing capacity. By the early 1900s, Griffin mills could bleach, dye, and hem towels without sending them north, keeping more of the process and more jobs at home.
✅ Why it mattered: Instead of exporting raw cotton, Griffin turned raw fiber into finished American-made towels, building skilled jobs and a resilient mill village economy.
Before Branding Was a Buzzword: The Rise of Dundee Towels
As the new century unfolded, Kincaid Manufacturing had already proven that Griffin, Georgia could hold its own in the textile world. By the 1910s and 1920s, its towels carried a name that would soon define an entire community, Dundee.
Long before marketing departments and social media buzzwords, the Dundee label earned loyalty the old-fashioned way: through quality, consistency, and hard work. Workers were familiar with the hum of the looms.
Families timed their days by the mill whistle. Shopkeepers stocked Dundee towels because customers asked for them by name.
📜 Archival Highlight: The First Dundee Label
Early towels carried simple woven labels reading “Made in Griffin, Georgia, U.S.A.” These understated tags, stitched into crisp white terry cloth, became symbols of hometown pride.
Griffin’s First Towels: Early Textile Manufacturing Highlights
- Founded: 1888, Kincaid Manufacturing, Griffin, Georgia
- Product: Terry towels, among the first woven in the Southern United States
- Industry Context: Only a handful of U.S. mills made terry towels at the time
- Innovation: Early adoption of in-house bleaching, dyeing, and hemming
The Kincaid-Dundee identity tied Griffin’s livelihood to a single product category, which could do exceptionally well: towels. Every bolt of cloth, every woven loop carried not just a logo, but a sense of local pride that stretched from the factory floor to the front porches of Griffin.
Photo Credit: Dundee Towels 1940s by 1950sUnlimited is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The Power of Scale: Georgia-Kincaid to Dundee Mills
As Griffin’s towel production grew stronger through the early 1900s, more mills followed Kincaid’s lead. The city buzzed with textile activity, and small family-run operations began linking together to compete with the big northern mills. The once modest Kincaid enterprise became part of a new era of growth, partnerships, and reinvestment that defined Griffin’s next chapter.
1920s: From Kincaid to Georgia-Kincaid
In the 1920s, ownership shifts led smaller firms to merge into larger enterprises. The Georgia-Kincaid Mills era expanded capacity and integrated more of the process. Spinning, weaving, dyeing, and finishing were all conducted within a tighter radius, improving consistency and speed from bale to bath towel.
1925: Enter Shelnor-Mills
By 1925, another key player joined Griffin’s growing textile scene, Shelnor-Mills. Operating alongside Georgia-Kincaid and other nearby mills, Shelnor-Mills added new jobs, new equipment, and cemented Griffin’s reputation as a powerhouse of American towel-making. These interconnected companies shared resources, workers, and a common purpose: to preserve and sustain Southern textile craftsmanship.
1942: The Dundee Brand Becomes the Company
Recognizing the strength of the towel brand, Georgia-Kincaid formally became Dundee Mills in 1942. For decades after, Dundee Mills was synonymous with Griffin. The town embraced its reputation as the Towel City of the South, with the plant operating day and night to fulfill orders for homes, hotels, and hospitals across America.
Joining Forces: Early Partnership & Branding Highlights
- Brand Evolution: Kincaid → Georgia-Kincaid → Dundee Mills
- Economic Impact: Transformed Griffin from a cotton-shipping town into a thriving textile center
- Legacy: One of the earliest American-made towel producers and a foundation for over a century of textile manufacturing in Georgia
As the years rolled on, Dundee Mills grew into one of the largest towel manufacturers in the world. Its reach extended far beyond Georgia, but its soul remained in Griffin, in the steady rhythm of looms, the scent of cotton, and the pride of generations who made a living by weaving American quality into every thread.
✅ Worker life: Mill schedules shaped the town’s heartbeat. Kids learned to read the whistle. Stores opened early. Churches planned socials around shifts. The mills were a hub of work and culture.
From Boom to Battle: Dundee’s Peak and the Winds of Change
As the decades rolled on, Dundee Mills became a way of life in Griffin. From the hum of morning shifts to the glow of streetlights after second shift, the town’s rhythm pulsed with the steady pace of towel production, and by mid-century, Dundee stood at its peak.
The Golden Years: Mid-Century Modernization
Postwar investments brought new looms, modern finishing systems, and cleaner water technology that improved both quality and efficiency. Dundee Mills expanded into new product lines and became the region’s anchor employer. For many families, a mill job was a career and a promise of stability.
📜 Archival Highlight: 1940s Dundee Employee Picnic
Throughout the mid-20th century, Dundee’s mill villages formed the backbone of community life in Griffin. Company newsletters and oral histories describe social gatherings, baseball teams, and church picnics where families came together outside the factory gates. For generations, the mills weren’t only places of work, they were where life, friendship, and tradition intertwined.
When the World Changed: Global Pressures on American Mills
But global winds began shifting in the 1970s. As trade barriers loosened and production costs abroad fell, American textile towns began to feel the strain.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, consolidation became a strategy for survival. Smaller domestic mills folded into larger corporations, trying to stay afloat against imports priced far below U.S. labor standards.
By the mid-1990s, change was inevitable. Dundee Mills, founded from the Kincaid and Georgia-Kincaid legacy, had remained family-owned for more than a century. In 1995, Springs Industries, Inc., based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, purchased Dundee Mills and its related companies.
Springs Industries was one of the largest textile companies in the United States, known for household brands like Springmaid, Wamsutta, and Cannon. The acquisition was part of its strategy to expand towel production and consolidate American-made home goods under established national labels. The purchase included Dundee’s Griffin operations, which were later restructured under the Springs corporate umbrella.
The sale marked the end of an era and the start of uncertain times, but the Griffin community held fast to hope, determined to keep its looms running even as U.S. manufacturing shifted overseas at a rapid pace.
The 1990s Textile Turning Point: Industry Shift Highlights
- Era of Change: 1970s–1990s, global trade barriers loosen, textile quotas phase out
- Challenge: Low-cost imports from Asia and Latin America undercut U.S. labor and production
- Consolidation: Smaller mills merge or close as competition intensifies
- 1995: Springs Industries (Fort Mill, SC) acquires Dundee Mills, integrating it into national home textile brands like Springmaid, Wamsutta, and Cannon
- Impact on Griffin: Local mills continue operating under Springs for several years before overseas manufacturing expands
- Legacy: The sale marked the final chapter for family-owned Dundee Mills, but it also set the stage for the birth of 1888 Mills, founded by industry veterans determined to preserve American towel-making
As ownership changed and global economics reshaped the industry, the spirit that built Dundee never disappeared. That pride would soon become the spark for a new chapter, one that proved the story of American towel-making in Griffin was far from over.
Photo Credit: 1888 Mills
A New Chapter: 1996 Rebirth & The 1888 Mills Story
After more than a century of towel-making tradition, a small group of industry veterans saw an opportunity to prove that American textile craftsmanship could adapt, survive, and lead once again. Their answer was 1888 Mills, a company born from history yet built for the future.
Weaving A Comeback: The Founding of 1888 Mills
In 1996, they formed 1888 Mills, named for the year Kincaid Manufacturing first began weaving towels in Griffin. Their mission was simple yet bold: to continue producing high-quality towels made in the USA, while building a responsible global footprint that would enable them to compete.
The founding group, comprising a former executive and three employees, demonstrated that American textile manufacturing could still have a future, even in a globalized market. 1888 Mills became both a business and a statement of purpose, a living link between Griffin’s past and America’s commitment to domestic production.
📰 Archival Highlight: 1996 – A New Company Revives Towel-Making in Griffin
In 1996, local newspapers celebrated the founding of 1888 Mills, reporting that a group of former Dundee executives and employees was reopening part of the old facilities. Their goal was to preserve local craftsmanship and keep towel manufacturing alive in Griffin. The news gave residents a sign that the hum of the looms might return.
Reclaiming the Looms: The Griffin Plant and the “Made Here” Moment
In the 2010s, 1888 Mills reinvested in Griffin, leaned into USA-grown cotton for select lines, and partnered with major retailers to put towels made in the USA back on store shelves. For a time, the Griffin terry line stood proudly as a rare example of American-made towels in a sea of imports.
✅ Why it resonated: People wanted to buy quality and support American jobs. Hotels and hospitals valued reliability and traceability. Consumers loved seeing the Made in USA label, a small reminder that American manufacturing still had a pulse.
A New Weave, the Same Spirit: 1888 Mills Highlights
- Founded: 1996, Griffin, Georgia
- Named for: The year Kincaid Manufacturing began weaving towels (1888)
- Founders: Former Dundee Mills chairman and employees
- Mission: Preserve American towel-making while competing globally
- Made in USA Focus: Select towel lines produced in Griffin using U.S.-grown cotton
- Global Reach: Balanced domestic and international production for sustainability and scale
- Legacy: A modern continuation of Griffin’s 130-year textile story
For Griffin, it was about pride. Proof that the same craftsmanship that began in 1888 could still thrive more than a century later. The looms in the 1888 Mills plant became a symbol of endurance, linking the town’s textile roots to a new generation of Made in USA believers.
That moment marked a brief but powerful comeback for Griffin’s textile pride. Even as most of the world moved toward mass imports, the Griffin plant proved that craftsmanship, community, and American-made quality still mattered.
Photo Credit: West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail
When the Looms Fell Silent: The 2024 Closure in Griffin, Georgia
The Final Whistle: The End of an Era in Griffin
Despite years of investment and national attention, the math turned harsh. Costs in the U.S. kept rising. Energy, labor, compliance, and logistics made it difficult to price a domestic terry towel competitively.
In Jan. 2024, 1888 Mills announced it would close its Griffin, GA, U.S. terry plant, with production ceasing by late March/April 2024. The plant closed in April.
“We want to express our heartfelt appreciation to the Griffin community, our dedicated workforce, and our loyal customers for their unwavering support throughout our nearly 28-year journey. The decision to close Griffin manufacturing was not an easy one, but necessary for our company’s continued growth and success.” – Rob Sayre, CEO at 1888 Mills LLC.
The closure does not erase the legacy. It highlights the challenges of operating a high-volume, commodity textile line in the United States, even with astute leadership and loyal customers.
Echoes of the Mill: What Remains in Griffin’s Story
The looms fell silent, but not everything disappeared. Corporate offices, warehousing, and distribution operations remained, keeping a portion of the company’s footprint and its people in Griffin. 1888 Mills’ history and the community’s textile identity endure through families, local archives, and the sturdy brick buildings that once turned cotton and skill into a symbol of American-made craftsmanship.
While the sound of weaving may have faded, the spirit never did. For Griffin, towel-making wasn’t just an industry; it was heritage, identity, and proof that a small Southern town could stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best.
Photo Credit: Griffin-Spalding Historical Society
A Walk Through Time: The Short, Scannable Timeline
- 1888: Kincaid Manufacturing begins weaving terry towels in Griffin, Georgia
- 1920s: Consolidation under Georgia-Kincaid; local finishing grows
- 1942: Company adopts the name Dundee Mills; Griffin becomes the Towel City of the South
- 1950s–1980s: Peak employment, modernization, diversification
- 1995: Ownership changes reflect global sourcing pressures
- 1996: 1888 Mills forms, honoring the 1888 origin while modernizing the business
- 2010s: Renewed spotlight on towels made in USA; Griffin’s terry line gains national attention
- 2024: 1888 Mills closes the Griffin terry plant, ending the last large-scale U.S. cotton terry operation in the city
From the first terry towels woven in 1888 to the final looms in 2024, Griffin’s story mirrors America’s broader manufacturing journey: innovation, resilience, and the constant pull between progress and preservation.
Vintage Dundee Towel
Photo Credit: The Pink Rose Cottage
What the Mills Left Behind: A Legacy Woven in Time
The history of 1888 Mills, dating back to Kincaid Manufacturing, is more than a company timeline; it’s a ledger of American textile heritage that paid wages, built homes, and sent generations of children to school. It proves that domestic production can stand tall, even if it cannot always stand forever. The legacy endures in the hands that wove every towel, the families that kept faith through change, and the town that refused to forget its craft.
If you own an old Dundee towel or a more recent 1888 Mills bath sheet made in Griffin, you hold a piece of American manufacturing history spun from cotton, carried by the community, and strengthened by pride. Every loop and thread tells the story of a small Southern town that helped define what Made in the USA truly means.
Thread of Hope: The Next Chapter for American-Made Towels
Even as the last looms went quiet in Griffin, the story of American-made towels didn’t end. Brands unwilling to give up on offering their customers bath towels made in the USA have been hard at work rebuilding what once seemed lost: domestic production, reliable supply chains, and the craftsmanship that made American textiles world-renowned.
On March 24, 2025, Red Land Cotton, based in Alabama, announced that it had resumed production of USA-made towels after some setbacks following the closure of 1888 Mills. Working with a South Carolina manufacturer, the brand designed a new bath towel that complements the mill’s equipment while continuing to use cotton grown on its own Alabama farm.
Authenticity50, known for its “seed-to-stitch®” bedding and home essentials, plans to bring back bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, and bath bundles in 2026, continuing its mission to rebuild supply chains across all 50 states.
American Cotton Products expects its line of American-made towels to be available within 3–4 weeks (Which should be by late October 2025), adding momentum to the brands dedicated to domestic terry manufacturing.
These efforts may be smaller in scale than Griffin’s once-mighty mills, but their purpose echoes the same spirit, craftsmanship, community, and pride in American quality. Each towel labeled Made in USA carries the legacy forward, proof that the story of American textiles is still being written.
👉 Longing for American-made bath towels? Bath Towels Made in USA: Don’t Get Left Naked
For Readers Who Want to Learn More: Exploring Georgia’s Textile Heritage
The story of 1888 Mills is just one book in a much larger legacy. From water-powered mills in the 1800s to the thriving carpet and apparel industries of the 20th century, Georgia’s textile history shaped the economy, architecture, and identity of dozens of communities across the state.
For those who want to explore that story in greater depth, the book The West Georgia Textile Trail (Images of America Series) offers a detailed look at how the textile industry powered the economic development of west and northwest Georgia.
It traces the rise of early cotton mills, the diversification into hosiery and apparel manufacturing around Bremen, and the evolution of the handcrafted chenille business that grew into the modern carpet industry centered in Dalton.
Even as many mills have closed, the region’s landscape still bears the marks of its industrial past, from the brick mill buildings that dot small towns to the enduring pride of families who spent generations working the looms.
This broader history is preserved and celebrated today through the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail, a heritage tourism initiative that runs from Columbus to Dalton. The trail highlights mills, communities, and stories, including Thomaston Mills, the company behind American Blossom Linens, which still makes some of the best bed sheets made in the USA.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions About 1888 Mills History
Q: When did towel manufacturing begin in Griffin, Georgia?
A: 1888, when Kincaid Manufacturing started weaving terry towels, laying the groundwork for Dundee Mills and later 1888 Mills.
Q: What is the connection between Kincaid, Georgia-Kincaid, and Dundee Mills?
A: Kincaid grew and consolidated into Georgia-Kincaid, which adopted the Dundee Mills name in 1942 to reflect a strong towel brand identity.
Q: Why was Dundee Mills important to Griffin?
A: Dundee Mills became the area’s largest employer, turning Griffin into the Towel City of the South and anchoring the local economy for decades.
Q: When was 1888 Mills formed and why use that name?
A: 1888 Mills formed in 1996 to carry forward the 1888 towel heritage with a modern business model that served retail, hospitality, and healthcare.
Q: Did 1888 Mills make towels in the USA?
A: Yes. The company operated a Griffin, Georgia terry plant for towels made in USA, while also producing globally to stay competitive.
Q: Why did 1888 Mills close its U.S. terry plant?
A: Rising domestic costs made large-scale terry production unsustainable. The 2024 closure reflected long-running global cost pressures on commodity textiles.
Q: What products did 1888 Mills supply?
A: Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, and related hospitality and healthcare textiles, along with bedding and kitchen textiles through global operations.
Q: Is anything of 1888 Mills still in Griffin?
A: Corporate and distribution functions continued. The manufacturing chapter for terry in Griffin, however, closed in 2024.
Q: Are any towels still made in the USA today?
A: A few niche or specialty lines exist, but the number is small. Always check labels for country of origin and program details.
👉 Searching for American-made towels? Bath Towels Made in USA: Don’t Get Left Naked
Q: How can I honor this history?
A: Support American-made when you can, preserve family stories and artifacts, and share Griffin’s textile heritage on your socials as a reminder that real people are affected when manufacturing moves overseas.
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Final Thoughts
1888 Mills’ history ties a mill town’s pride to a nation’s making. From Kincaid Dundee to the modern 1888 Mills era, Griffin, Georgia proved that American-made towels could compete on quality and heart. The 2024 closure marked the end of a manufacturing chapter, not the end of its meaning. The stories, the skills, and the people endure. If you have a towel from Griffin, you have a piece of our shared American manufacturing story.
To learn more about 1888 Mills’ history, visit the 1888 Mills Global website.
💬 Which part of Griffin’s towel history interested you most? What brands do you remember in your home? Share your stories. I’d love to hear from you.
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Sources & Historical References
Primary & Corporate Sources
- 1888 Mills: Company overview, founding year (1996), and lineage tracing to Kincaid Manufacturing (1888).
- Georgia Department of Labor WARN Notice, Jan 2024: Confirms 1888 Mills Griffin plant closure, effective March/April 2024, with corporate and distribution functions retained locally.
- Springs Industries SEC Filing & Press Release (1995): Details Springs Industries’ $120 million acquisition of Dundee Mills.
Historical & Regional Documentation
- West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail: Provides context for Kincaid Manufacturing, Georgia-Kincaid, Shelnor-Mills, and Dundee Mills in Griffin, Georgia.
- Images of America: The West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail (Arcadia Publishing, 2015) by Dr. Kira L. Stevenson & Dr. Keith Hebert – Illustrated book covering Georgia’s mill history from the 19th century through the modern era.
- “Griffin Mill Villages and Dundee Mills,” Griffin-Spalding County Historical Society Archives (local record collection).
Trade & Industry Reporting
- Home Textiles Today (1996): “1888 Mills Launches With Goal of Preserving U.S. Towel Making.”
- Home Textiles Today (2024): “1888 Mills to Cease Terry Manufacturing in Griffin, GA.”
- Textile World magazine archives (1990s–2020s): Industry coverage of Dundee, Springs, and 1888 Mills corporate changes.
Modern U.S. Towel Manufacturing Updates
- Red Land Cotton Blog – Mar 24 2025: Announces resumption of U.S. towel production with a South Carolina manufacturer.
- Authenticity50 Product Page: Confirms plan to reintroduce Made in USA towels in 2026.
- American Cotton Official Site: Provides details on 100% American-made towels and current product availability.
General Context & Industry Background
- Cannon Mills and the History of Towels in the American South, North Carolina Textile Heritage Project (UNC-Charlotte Archives).
- New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Textile Industry in Georgia” entry for economic and regional context.
Michelle K. Barto is the founder and lead writer of MadeInTheUSAMatters.com, a site dedicated to helping consumers discover and support products made in the USA. With over 25 years of professional blogging and content creation experience, Michelle combines deep research with firsthand product use to bring readers honest, practical, and engaging reviews alongside easy-to-browse brand and product directories.
Raised with a respect for American craftsmanship, Michelle personally uses and tests many of the products featured on the site — from cookware she uses in her own kitchen to outdoor gear she takes camping with her family. Her mission is simple: make it easier for people to choose quality, American-made goods that support jobs, communities, and manufacturing here at home.
When she’s not writing, you’ll find Michelle working on backyard and home remodeling projects, exploring local parks, or planning the next family adventure in their camper. She lives in Ohio with her husband, youngest son, cat, and a small flock of ducks.
