Cabbagetown in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Jacob Elsas and the Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 11, 2023

1. Jacob Elsas and the Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills Marker

Inscription. Born in 1842, Jacob Elsas settled in Ohio in 1861 from Württemberg during a wave of European-Jewish immigration. In 1865, Elsas moved to Cartersville, Georgia, opening a trading store. Recognizing a shortage in manufactured bags, Elsas relocated to Atlanta, establishing what became Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills. The Atlanta-based mill offered millworkers housing and welfare services. Unlike his contemporaries, Elsas employed both Black men and women, leading to the Strike of 1897, when White workers demanded Elsas fire twenty Black women. A strike in 1914-1915 over working conditions was one of the longest in US history and brought national scrutiny to Southern labor practices. Jacob Elsas helped establish the Georgia Institute of Technology and Grady Hospital. He died in 1932 and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. All operations at this location permanently ceased in 1981.

Erected 2023 by Georgia Historical Society • The Patch Works Art & History Center. (Marker Number 60-35.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 33° 45.02′ N, 84° 22.087′

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W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in Cabbagetown. Marker is on Carroll Street Southeast south of Tennelle Street Southeast, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 158 Carroll St SE, Atlanta GA 30312, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Geography of Race (approx. 0.2 miles away); The African American Burial Grounds (approx. ¼ mile away); The Hanging of Andrews' Raiders (approx. ¼ mile away); Women's Comfort Station (approx. ¼ mile away); Where Hood Watched the Battle of Atlanta (approx. ¼ mile away); Our Confederate Dead (approx. ¼ mile away); Clement Anselm Evans (approx. ¼ mile away); Confederate Obelisk (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Also see . . .
1. Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills. Wikipedia entry on the mills gives a broad overview of their history. (Submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. A Tale of 3 Strikes. Long before workers at multinational companies such as Starbucks and Amazon began fighting to collectively bargain with their employers to address income inequality and improve working conditions, workers at Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills fought to unionize, creating a blueprint for those who would dare to belong to a union in the present-day. (Tiffany Harte,

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 11, 2023

2. Jacob Elsas and the Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills Marker

Atlanta History Center, posted May 2, 2022) (Submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills Records. Many of the company's records — such as reports from company spies monitoring union activities – are held by Georgia Tech Library and Information Center and available to the public. The collection also includes miscellaneous newspaper clippings, photographs and internal correspondence. (Submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

The Former Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills image. Click for full size.

Lee Coursey via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), January 25, 2015

3. The Former Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills

The complex has been redeveloped into a mix of apartments, condominiums, office space and film studios.

Unknown via Breman Museum (Public Domain)

4. Jacob Elsas

Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 107 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.