Atlanta Machine Works facts for kids
The Atlanta Machine Works was a very important factory in early Atlanta. It was the city's first company that could melt and shape metal (a foundry) and build things out of metal (metal fabrication).
In 1848, a man named Austin Leyden, along with Robert Findlay and others, started this factory. They called it A. Leyden & Co. They made a lot of money from it. In 1853, Leyden sold the company to a business partner. After that, it became known as the Atlanta Machine Works.
A Factory During the Civil War
The Atlanta Machine Works played a big part in the American Civil War. During the war, the factory made weapons and other important supplies for the Confederacy.
The factory was located in Atlanta, at the corner of Hunter Street (which is now Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) and King Street. Today, a larger industrial area stands in its place, not far from the Georgia State Capitol.
Making Supplies for the War
Between August and December of 1863, the factory sent over 2,300 cannonballs and artillery shells to the Confederate army's supply center in Atlanta. At that time, seventeen men who were old enough to be soldiers worked at the plant. Some records show that the factory also made cannons. These cannons were then sent to the Western and Atlantic Railroad's roundhouse to have grooves added to their barrels, which made the shots fly straighter.
Changing Owners
The company that owned the Atlanta Machine Works changed its name several times over the years. One of its names was Porter & Davis.
After the War
By the early 1900s, the Atlanta Machine Works had changed what it made. It started producing equipment for farming and mining. It also made machines for grinding things, like grain mills.
