The mills became famous for the quality of cotton fabric produced which was dubbed "Mississippi silk" at the Centennial celebration of 1876. A product of the Industrial Revolution, the mills in Wesson began to utilize the new technology of the rapidly changing age. One year after Thomas Edison perfected the light bulb, the Mississippi Mills put them to use. It was said that passengers on the evening train would rush to the windows when passing through Wesson in order to see the marvelous lights.