Avondale Mills
Avondale Mills was founded in 1897 by a consortium of investors that included the Trainer family of Chester, Pennsylvania, Braxton Bragg Comer and The Birmingham Commercial Club. Land was donated in Birmingham by the Avondale Land Company in exchange for the mill calling itself, Avondale Mills.
Avondale Mills was founded in 1897 by a consortium of investors that included the Trainer family of Chester, Pennsylvania, Braxton Bragg Comer and The Birmingham Commercial Club. Land was donated in Birmingham by the Avondale Land Company in exchange for the mill calling itself, Avondale Mills.
- Comer had schools constructed onsite for the use of Avondale’s black and white employees and their children. These schools included:
- A kindergarten
- An elementary-high school
- A night school for adult employees
- In addition to these onsite educational facilities, the children of employees were offered no interest college loans that were often forgiven upon graduation. This offer would apply to both black and white employees.
- In the first decade of the 20th century, an employee at Avondale Mills earned $12-$20 a week. At the same time, the average American earned $10.06/ week.
- A worker could rent a house for 6% of their wages in the Avondale Mills company village.
- Constructed Drummond Fraser Hospital in Sylacauga in 1913 for all employees of Avondale Mills
- Although Governor Comer did employ children at Avondale Mills in Birmingham this was not unusual for his times. In 1900, one in five Americans under age 15 were employed outside of a family-owned business. During his term as Governor, he signed legislation to help reduce child labor across the state.
- Avondale Mills remained one of the only manufacturing concerns in the Deep South to offer identical access to amenities for both black and white employees. These amenities included:
- Profit sharing
- Home ownership
- Scholarships for higher education
- Paid and paid-for vacations at multiple company owned retreats
- Millions of dollars given for scholarships and educational grants