Presented by Randy Patton, “Tufted Textiles Take the Floor” will examine the early history of carpet manufacturing in the Dalton area, focusing on the development of tufting machine technology, the changes in the national marketplace that facilitated the rise of tufted carpeting.

Randy Patton was born in Dalton, Georgia, and attended Dalton State College before receiving his BA from University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and his MA (1985) and PhD (1990) in History from the University Of Georgia. He is the author of Carpet Capital: The Rise of a New South Industry (1999); Shaw Industries: A History (2003); Working for Equality : The Narrative of Harry Hudson (2015); Lockheed, Atlanta, and the Struggle for Racial Integration (2019); and numerous scholarly articles. He currently holds the Shaw Industries Distinguished Chair in History at Kennesaw State University, where he has taught since 1993.

This event is free and open to the public.