While you’re in Chicopee Georgia, why not stop by Robert Wood Johnson Jr.’s home and the Chicopee Mill? Or maybe you want to know more about Johnson & Johnson’s employee housing? Either way, you’ll want to check out the websites below! And don’t forget to bookmark them for later use. And while you’re there, take a moment to explore the city and its many treasures!
Chicopee Mill
A former mill village, Chicopee is a four-mile drive south of Gainesville in Hall County, Georgia. Visitors will find the town’s historical mill buildings and historic downtown district fascinating. In addition to mills, the village is home to an ice cream shop, a museum, and a gift shop. In addition, a walking tour of Chicopee’s historic downtown district provides an excellent introduction to the town.
Once home to a cotton mill, Chicopee is now a thriving town. The town grew up to serve its local population with a general store, barbershop, and clinic. There were also playgrounds and streetlights to illuminate green spaces. Local resident Hap Hood, a Gainesville native, recalled attending Chicopee Elementary School in the 1940s. Several years later, he opened a furniture business that expanded the community.
Today, the town has state-of-the-art street lighting and an active community-based planning organization. Its regulations also include health and safety guidelines for mill workers. The town is one of the few surviving examples of a planned industrial town from the early twentieth century. It has an intact mill and a high-quality mill housing community. Its many historical and cultural resources make it worth visiting.
Robert Wood Johnson Jr.’s home
The home of the famous surgeon Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. was a historic place, a reminder of his prestigious career and the importance of his work in improving the lives of those around the world. Built in 1926, the Johnson & Johnson building is one of the earliest structures in the Gainesville area to have electricity, hot water, and indoor plumbing. The building was later turned into an educational center and is now a museum.
The village was originally planned for 500 homes, but only 217 were built in the first phase. The full plan was never completed, and the property became a historic district within the city of Gainesville, Georgia. It was also registered on the National Register of Historic Places. A few of Johnson’s former neighbors still live in the home, including Draper. It’s also home to the founder of the Chicopee Foundation.
The Chicopee Mill and Village Historic District is a sprawling industrial district that dates back to 1927. The town is located on gently rolling terrain, adjacent to a cotton mill. The community is lined with both historic and non-historic industrial structures. The streets of the town are curvilinear and lined with copper doors and window panes. During his time in Chicopee, many Johnson & Johnson employees still live in the community.
Johnson & Johnson’s employee housing
When the company moved into this part of Gainesville in 1926, they built and renovated employee housing. The village included 250 modern houses, a school, and a medical center. Though many of the houses were identical, the layout of the community was intentionally not uniform. There were 31 variations of modern brick homes. Chicopee Village also included amenities such as hot water, electricity, and indoor plumbing.
The building that the company used to erect on the site was 926 feet long and 254 feet wide. It was used for the company’s employees, and is now owned by other companies. The building has been donated to the city for public use and to Johnson High School. This building is a unique piece of Georgia history, and its restoration has helped the city to grow as a community.
Construction on the first part of the Chicopee Georgia plant began in 1925. The factory’s design was influenced by the style of nearby Victorian mills, including the antebellum homes. The new factory’s occupants were residents of the Chicopee Manufacturing Corporation. The company grew in the Georgia area, and it also expanded its manufacturing operations. Its new location would make it easier for the company to access cotton, a resource that Johnson & Johnson used to create the world’s most famous sterile surgical supplies.