Chipman-Union Mill Photograph Collection
Collection
Identifier: VAM155
Chipman-Union Mill was formed by the merger of Charles Chipman's Sons Company, Inc. and Union Manufacturing Company. These photographs document the history of the mill.
(two document cases, four half-sized document cases, and one oversized box)
None.
All photographs in this collection are subject to approval before publication may be permitted. Permission to publish materials from this collection must be obtained from the Head of Archives and Special Collections.
2.8 Linear Feet
This collection consists of gelatin silver prints, film (slides and negatives), and color (chromogenic color) prints. The majority of the photographs in this collection are in good condition; however, some fading and yellow staining have occurred.
Charles Chipman's Sons Company, Inc. began in 1884 with Charles Chipman buying a hosiery mill in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Several years later in 1894, his sons Frank and Evan took over the company and relocated to Easton, Pennsylvania. They later moved to New York City after incorporating in 1915. They brought the Karl Leiberknecht Company, manufacturer of hosiery machines until the 1950s, over from Germany. The company also served as a sales agent for other mills, including Union Manufacturing Company.
Union Manufacturing Company was founded in 1896 in the agricultural town of Union Point, Georgia to provide a year-round payroll for the community. Headed continuously until 1998 by the Bryan family, the mill manufactured underwear initially, but produced men's and boy's socks after the turn of the twentieth century.
In 1972 the two companies merged, with their headquarters located in Union Point in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They established their Bryan-Scott division, named for F. Sibley Bryan, Sr., and Owen O. Scott in Greensboro, and Plant Laurel division in Reynolds. A significant marketing innovation developed during this time was the packaging of multi-packs, particularly six-packs. They also developed in the early 1980s one of their more popular brands, Odor-Eaters.
In 1993, Chipman-Union employees voted to organize a union after several years of negotiations. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2001.
A print copy of this finding aid is available in the Georgia Tech Archives reading room.
Accession #2001.147.
(two document cases, four half-sized document cases, and one oversized box)
Jody Lloyd processed these papers in 2002.
Part of the Archives and Special Collections, Library, Georgia Institute of Technology Repository