Mr. Pienezza on the grape vineyard on Blackjack Road in the present day Friendship area.

The Mount Vernon Mills originated in the Jones Falls area of what is now known to be Baltimore, Maryland. Beginning around 1810, many of the Maryland mills were beginning to transition from flourmills and gristmills to cotton duck mills, and it was one of these converted mills that became the original Mount Vernon Mill. As the company bought more of the local mills, the area soon became the Mount Vernon Company, which was a frontrunner in the fabrication of cloth sails for clipper ships and cloth for canvas tents. Soon after, the Mount Vernon Company shifted its eyes southward and began construction in Tallassee.