Last Thursday, in company with our clever friend, Col. M. T. POLK, we made a visit to Leatherville, two miles northwest of this place, on the Whiteville road, and found that it was a place with “busy life abounding.” Leatherville is decidely a manufacturing village, and under the fostering care and experience of its enterprising founder and proprietor, Paul T. JONES, Esq., is destined to exert no little influence for the good of the people of this county.
The first establishment into which we were shown was the Pottery, wherein jugs, jars, pipes, and all kinds of earthen ware are made in abundance and with wonderful rapidity. This is an important branch, and it under the management of a most excellent workman.
Next we were introduced to the intelligent workmen who preside over the tan yard and work-shops. Here genuine leather is manufactured, as well as saddles, made upon the celebrated Estes tree, which, we think, is an improvement upon the Hope tree of Texas, together with boots and shoes of every description, from the finest kip skin pump to the heaviest brogans, all of which are sold at the manufactory for less than Yankee made goods of the same style. As proof of this we will state that we saw there heavy sewed calf skin boots marked down at $14, and we are satisfied that no Eastern made goods of the same quality can be sold here at less figures.
The Estes saddle-tree is made at Leatherville also. Next we were shown into the Foundry, where castings of all kinds are made to order. This is also a feature at the little village, and the cast iron plows moulded there and stocked in a room adjoining the foundry, is fast winning a reputation for adaptability to the soil of this section that will cause an increased demand and compel the proprietor to enlarge his facilities for their manufacture.
Besides the activeness that now prevails at Leatherville, we learn that Mr. JONES intends to build during the coming summer, just as the foot of the hill on which is situated his “Novelty Works”, – the pottery – a saw, grist mill and cotton gin, the machinery of which will be run by the waters of Pleasant Run creek, for which purpose a race three-quarters of a mile has been cut, and which is large enough to accommodate a volume of water sufficient force to drive twice the machinery necessary for the improvements mentioned above.
It certainly would be of great benefit to this entire people if we had in our midst a few more such liberal, enterprising men as the owner of Leatherville. Such men, and only such, can change the tide of prosperity, and chain its flood near our doors. It is the duty of a good citizen to patronize home enterprise; if you need anything, purchase it from a home manufacturer if you can; by this line of policy we will soon become self-sustaining, and be enabled to keep at home in constant circulation money that would otherwise find its way into Northern pockets and be lost to us forever. Patronize home industry, that is the key-note to our future welfare.
The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.), 30 March 1867, Page 2. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
