When the Dixie Highway connected the upper Midwest with Florida in 1929, enterprising northwest Georgians quickly learned to catch the eyes of tourists.

Soon clotheslines bordered the highway that ran through Gordon County and its neighbors. Laundry? No! Colorful chenille bedspreads, adorned with peacocks, flowers, or geometric designs flapped in the breeze, beckoning travelers to stop and take home a souve-nir.

Bringing back that era, a new exhibit at the Harris Arts Center and the Gordon County Historical Society will feature chenille spreads from hand-tufted to machine made, all from the collections of Gordon County families. From a home craft to a booming industry that sold its products to the world, chenille has been an economic boon to northwest Georgia.

In “Peacock Alley: The Early Years of Gordon County’s Chenille Industry” bedspreads, capes, jackets, bathrobes and bath mats, small tools, photographs, and other memorabilia will be displayed at both sites, beginning September 14 and closing October 23. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Two public programs will comment on the exhibit. Dr. Donald Davis of Dalton State Col-lege will lead a discussion, “Talking Textiles: Bedspread Memories from Gordon County,” at the Gordon County Historical Society on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m. Dr. Randall Patton of Kennesaw State University will give a talk, “Women and the Creation of North Georgia’s Tufted Textile Industries,” Thurs., Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. at the Harris Arts Center. Both pro-grams are free and will be followed by receptions.

The Calhoun–Gordon County Library will sponsor on its Web site (www.cgcl.org) an on-line catalog of the exhibit, featuring text and photographs of each item in the exhibit.

The programs are supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National En-dowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assem-bly. “Peacock Alley” is also supported by the Calhoun Gordon Arts Council, the Gordon County Historical Society, the Calhoun–Gordon County Library, and several individual do-nors.

The Harris Arts Center, 212 S. Wall St., is open Mon.–Thurs., 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and Fri.–Sat., 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (706-629-2599). The Gordon County Historical Society is open Mon.–Thurs., 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (706-629-1515).