Brannon, W. A., Store-Moreland Knitting Mills
Why it's listed
Four connected brick buildings on Main Street in Moreland, Georgia, record the town's shift from a trading center to a mill town. Merchant W. A. Brannon built a cotton warehouse in 1891 and a two-story store in 1894, erected by R. D. Cole and Co. of Newnan with brick he manufactured himself. A second brick warehouse followed in 1904, and an alleyway joining the buildings was enclosed in 1937. The store sold general merchandise and served as Moreland's trading center until 1920. After Brannon's business failed amid poor cotton conditions, the property became the Moreland Hosiery Mills in 1920 and the Moreland Knitting Mills in 1927. The knitting mill employed as many as 100 people and operated until about 1968, making it the town's only manufacturing plant for forty years. The store keeps its original counter, freight elevator and doors, while skylights and new openings reflect its conversion to a mill. The town of Moreland received the property in 1983.
Significance in brief: The complex is significant in architecture as a good example of a late 19th-century general store in a small commercial center, with the buildings adapted for later mill use. It is significant in commerce as Moreland's trading center from 1894 to 1920. It is significant in industry as the site of the Moreland Hosiery Mills and then the Moreland Knitting Mills, the town's only manufacturing plant for forty years.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85003332, listed December 12, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Moreland |
|---|---|
| County | Coweta County |
| Listed | December 12, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003332 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | R.D. Cole Co. of Newnan, Georgia |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the town of Moreland, which received it as a gift in 1983; the form lists it as occupied, in good condition and altered, with civic use. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 33.28539, -84.76961 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85003332.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.