Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Dallas Mills and Village / Rison School
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 2, 2020
1. Dallas Mills and Village / Rison School Marker
1892-1949
Chartered in 1890 by T. B. Dallas, Dallas Mills began operation in 1892 as Alabama's largest cotton mill, manufacturing sheeting. The mill village extended from Oakwood Ave. South to O'Shaughnessy Ave., and from Coleman St. West to Dallas St. Employees were provided homes, medical care, churches, library, lodge building, Y. M. C. A., concerts, a kindergarten, and schools. The mill closed in 1949 and the village was incorporated into Huntsville in 1955.
1921 - 1964
The school, named for mill general manager Archie L. Rison, was the hub of village social life. Cecil Fain, Rison High School principal for 32 years, taught "Discipline Comes From Within." The school, which served educational and social needs of Dallas village for four generations, was located on this site.
Erected 1994 by Alabama Historical Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 34° 44.956′ N, 86° 34.68′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. Marker is at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue Northeast and Lee High Drive Northeast, on the right when traveling west on Oakwood Avenue Northeast. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Huntsville AL 35811, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Dallas (Optimist) Park / (Dallas) Optimist Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Lincoln School and Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lowry House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Goldsmith-Schiffman Field (approx. 0.7 miles away); Five Points Historic District (approx. ¾ mile away); Oak Place (approx. 0.8 miles away); Site of Green Academy (approx. one mile away); Twickenham Historic District (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 2, 2020
2. Dallas Mills and Village / Rison School Marker
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 2, 2020
3. Dallas Mills and Village / Rison School Marker
Courtesy Huntsville-Madison County Public Library
4. Dallas Mill
Dallas Mill, before the addition. Chartered by Trevanion B. Dallas of Nashville, Dallas Mills began operation in 1892 as Alabama's largest cotton mill and mainly produced cotton sheeting through dying and bleaching cotton and woolen goods. The mill village extended from Oakwood Ave. south to Dallas St. Employees, often called "lint heads" were provided homes, medical care, churches, library, lodge building, YMCA, concerts, a kindergarten and schools. The mill closed in 1949 and the village was incorporated into the city of Huntsville in 1955. One of the outstanding architectural features of the building was a spiral fire escape. Fortunately, when the building burned down on July 24, 1991, it was unoccupied.
Courtesy Huntsville-Madison County Public Library
5. Rison School-undated photographs of the school building.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 352 times since then and 113 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 5, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4, 5. submitted on August 6, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
