Somerville Manufacturing Company. When's the last time, or have you ever heard/thought of that name? Reading the obituaries of two area persons recently passed brought to mind this Tennessee-based enterprise; known to most as simply "the garment factory," that operated in Vivian from 1967-1981. Among the details about Mrs. Chelious Marie Paulette, mother of a schoolmate Jay, was that she had been a seamstress at Somerville. Earl G. Williamson, Jr. was president of the Vivian Industrial Development Corporation that was instrumental in bringing the clothing manufacturer to the area.
The plant provided semi-skilled jobs, employing approximately 350 persons who made men's dress slacks. During its tenure it increased the standard of living for a number of local families, as women entered the workforce (some for the first time) to supplement their husband's income. Many had a friend or family member who worked there including this writer, whose mother and grandmother were employed for several years.
The VIDC, which is still in existence, has attracted other employers over the years including Ritz-Craft Southern, Inc.; mobile home manufacturer (1965) and Olympic Fastening Systems, Inc. (1979).
Here is a timeline of Somerville's area operations:
1966
Salant & Salant, Inc., a New York-based corporation that operates textile plants in the southern United States, and parent company of Somerville Manufacturing Company, announces a clothing manufacturing plant to be opened in Vivian. Instrumental to this is land provided by the Vivian Industrial Development Corporation, whose president at the time was Earl G. Williamson, Jr.
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1967
The State Board of Commerce and Industry approves contract between Somerville and the town of Vivian. Stated to be a shirt plant, when implemented, the plant produced men's dress slacks.
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The plant, which employed approximately 350 persons, many of them women entering the workforce for the first time, began as a pilot operation in a former United Gas Pipeline building in Myrtis to get an initial core of workers skilled in the required tasks before eventually moving into the 20.000 square foot building on Camp Road on the south side of Vivian. When formally opened with much fanfare in September 1967, approximately 2,000 persons attended ceremonies to hear speeches by dignitaries including then Louisiana Governor John J. McKeithen.
A later article about the opening provided more details of the plant and its anticipated impact on the local economy.
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1980
Ad for a sewing machine mechanic ran in the Dallas newspaper just a few months before its closing.
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Even in 1980, globalization was having an impact on manufacturing jobs, such as those at Somerville, as domestic companies found it difficult to compete with foreign producers, whose employees worked for much less. An announcement came to close the plant in mid-January 1981.
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