About W. B. Davis Hosiery Mill
Industrial Facilities, Factories, Interesting Places
The W. B. Davis Hosiery Mill (also known as the Alabama Builders' Hardware Manufacturing Company Complex) is a historic industrial complex in Fort Payne, Alabama. The mill opened in 1884, in the midst of Fort Payne's economic boom, manufacturing building hardware & supplies. The main building, which features Colonial Revival details, is three stories tall, and 12-over-12 sash windows on each floor. An 85-foot (26-meter) chimney has a flared top and corbeled brick course, imitating a doric order column. By 1890, promises of plentiful and high-quality iron ore and other minerals were proven to be exaggerated. Eight of the largest manufacturers in town (including the A.B.H.M.C.) merged in a failed effort to avoid bankruptcy.