The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) unveiled a new historical marker recognizing Jacob Elsas and Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills on Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Atlanta. Dedicated in partnership with The Patch Works Art & History Center, the historical marker commemorates the life of entrepreneur and philanthropist Jacob Elsas, including how his company, the Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills, shaped the textile industry and the labor movement during the New South Era.
“As a senior member of the Elsas family, I would like to thank the Georgia Historical Society for honoring the life and accomplishments of my great grandfather, Jacob Elsas, with this historical marker,” said Norman Elsas Asher. “Future visitors to this site will learn how many years ago one immigrant made a tremendous impact in Georgia during America’s Industrial Revolution.”
While running a trading store in Cartersville, Jacob Elsas became inspired by the deficiency of bags for carrying bulk goods. He entered cotton bag manufacturing in Atlanta, establishing what became Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills. Later his philanthropy established the Georgia Institute of Technology and Grady Hospital.
As the South experienced rapid industrialization after the Civil War, Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills contributed to the immense growth of the southern textile industry of the 1880s. Like several contemporary mills, Elsas’s provided corporate welfare services and created company housing, known today as Cabbagetown. A labor movement grew throughout the South as textile industry workers of all ages endured long hours, low wages, and dangerous conditions. The Atlanta mill became the site of the longest strike in US history when workers protested over working conditions from May 20, 1914, to May 15, 1915. In the end, the 1914-1915 strike failed, largely due to clashing union leaders, but the national attention it garnered led to a deeper examination of southern labor practices.
The marker dedication took place at the site…
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