Mary A. Browning, a writer, historian, and professional genealogist, and Patricia M. Koehler, a writer and educator, originated the Oakdale Mills Project, sponsored by the Historic Jamestown Society, to preserve the history of the mill and its people. The end result, a 30-minute DVD, left much of the story still to be told. Images of America: Oakdale Cotton Mills provides the opportunity to tell more of that story. Photographs and documents loaned by the mill and workers' families depict a sensitive ownership, a caring community, and the mill's unique place in the Southern textile industry.