The ownership was widely distributed, since it was not at all uncommon for a hundred thousand dollar mill to have a hundred or more stockholders, some of whom held only one or two shares.

Further, since the amount of money paid in the immediate neighborhood for wages, fuel, and raw material was large, every one was disposed to aid the enterprise in every way possible.

Town limits were often changed almost by common consent in order to throw a mill outside so that it would not be subject to town taxes.

Where the state constitutions permitted, taxes on the mill were even remitted for a term of years.

Where this could not be done, assessors were lenient and usually assessed mill property at much less than its real value.
Not only did some Northern corporations build branch mills in the South, but a considerable amount of Northern capital was invested in mills under the management of Southern men.