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Dalton Depot
PEACOCK ALLEY: The beginning
She was only twelve years old when Cathrine Evans was inspired by beautiful textile artwork that would eventually blossom into an industry. Even if you are not into weaving, quilting, or stitching of any kind, it’s worth learning the story of one stitch which would eventually give Dalton, Georgia their claim to fame as being the "Carpet Capital of the World”. During the late 1800s, the technique of handcrafting turfted bedspreads intrigued this young teenager. When people began seeing her bedspreads, it didn’t take long for Catherine to be asked to make one for someone else. By the 1920s, the bedspreads would be popular regionally and nationally. When U.S. 41 was established as a major route, sellers would hang them where tourists could see them as they traveled through northwest Georgia and south towards Florida. The sale of the bedspreads along the route helped families during the Great Depression Era. It became known as Peacock Alley. The decade would bring popularity to a different height when merchants across the state and major cities like Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, and other places sold them.
Eventually, other products were created using this type of "turfting". If it could be covered, it probably was made and sold. From small textile creations like toilet seat covers to small rugs, the industry literally "blanketed" the nation and many secured jobs. Millionaires were created as early as the 1930s during the downside of a collapsed economy. In the 1950s, Dalton became the Bedspread Capital of the World. Since 1960, the carpet industry outgrew bedspreads and their claim to fame became known as the Carpet Capital of the World. The Dalton CVB offers a free exhibit by the local college of these fascinating bedspreads still popular a 100 years later. Inside the Historic Depot: Dalton CVB 305 Depot St. Dalton, GA 30720 Phone: (706) 270-9960