LaGrange in Troup County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Milstead Bell

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 30, 2023

1. The Milstead Bell Marker

Inscription. "A thing of ageless beauty weighing 1000 pounds with a beautiful voice, sweet and clear, that could be heard for miles around the community." Written by Frank Smith for the February 6, 1950 issue of the Callaway Beacon, this narrative describes the bell that signaled the beginning of the work day at Milstead Mill. At six o'clock each morning, this bell, rang by Night Watchman I. M. Walker, would summon Milstead employees to work. Walker would also climb the 35-foot tower at the corner of the plant to ring the bell each hour of the night as he made his rounds, calling out the time and announcing, "All is well." From 1916 to 1930, the rope was removed in favor of a new steam whistle. In 1930, a large electric magnet connected to an eight-day clock in the Superintendent's Office allowed the bell to be used until World War II. Today, the bell's sweet and clear sound can be heard by campers and visitors at Camp Southern Ground in Fayetteville, Georgia. The bell is generously on loan to the Estate from Camp Southern Ground.
(caption) Milstead Plant Office and the old bell as featured in the September 20, 1954 Callaway Beacon Newsletter.

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This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells series list.

Location. 33° 2.366′ N, 85° 2.929′ W. Marker is in LaGrange, Georgia, in Troup County. It is on Hills and Dales Drive west of Broad Street (Georgia Route 14), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1916 Hills and Dales Drive, Lagrange GA 30240, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: LaGrange College – 1831 (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 30, 2023

2. The Milstead Bell Marker

LaGrange College – 1831 (approx. ¼ mile away); Dr. Ulrich Bonnell Phillips (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bellevue (approx. half a mile away); Bellevue, Home of Sen. Benjamin Harvey Hill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Fuller Earle Callaway, Sr. (approx. one mile away); Gilbert du Motier Marquis de LaFayette (approx. one mile away); Lafayette (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in LaGrange.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Troup County (was approx. one mile away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . The Milstead Bell. Hills & Dales Estate (Submitted on October 6, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 262 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 4, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.