The Goodyear Mill in Rockmart

One of the entrances to the cotton textile mill built in Rockmart by Goodyear in 1929. This plant is where many of the original famous Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloons were made, including Underdog in 1965, Smokey the Bear in 1966, and Kermit the Frog in 1977. In all, 92 Macy's balloons were manufactured here before production stopped in 1980. The plant's legacy is still all over town, from the occupied neighborhood homes across the road that were originally built by Goodyear to attract workers, to the school built by the company that now houses a church. The plant is now run by Meggitt Polymer & Composites producing aerospace components.
Brian Harlan