The textile industry in the South began a prosperous and impressive development cycle in the late 1870s. Contributing factors to this rise in the industry included the post-Civil War return of the railroads; the climate; and the influence of the Cotton Exposition of 1881.

The Cotton Exposition of 1881 resulted from the mutual ideas of Edward Atkinson, Hannibal I. Kimball and Henry Grady. Atkinson, President of the Boston Manufacturers Mutual Fire Insurance Company, delivered an address in the Senate Chamber of Atlanta advocating the city as the site for a Cotton Exposition. Kimball, a friend of Atkinson and president of the Atlanta Cotton Factory along with Henry Grady, advocate of the "New South" and editor of the Atlanta Constitution, saw the Expo as a chance to advance the South as a major force in textile production.

A model factory was proposed and adopted and the Exposition Cotton Mills were built at Oglethorpe Park in Atlanta. The Expo lasted from October 5 until December 31 of 1881.

Astute and talented businessmen in the North were interested in opportunities to advance their fortunes and skills in the "New South." In 1871 at the age of 60, Amos Lockwood began a second career as a mill consultant and formed the company that became Lockwood Greene. As the South began to prosper, Lockwood Greene became a noted and often consulted firm for construction of the newer, more up to date structures that characterized the South's mills.

South Carolina heralded the way with the most number of mills in the South. By 1896, four of the six largest mills in the state were Lockwood Greene designs.
By 1901 Georgia boasted 9 Lockwood Greene designed mills including the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills (1889).

In addition to these modern and outstanding examples of operating mills, Lockwood Greene also designed textile Schools. Georgia Tech was designed first in 1898. An addition to the school in Lowell was added in 1901. The need for educated men to advance in the textile industry was vital as the South continued to open mills.

The following mills in Georgia were designed by or substantially added to Lockwood Greene: