Chattahoochee Brick Company facts for kids
The Chattahoochee Brick Company was a factory that made bricks. It was located next to the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, Georgia. This company was started in 1878 by James W. English, who was once the mayor of Atlanta. The company is known for using a system called convict lease. This meant that hundreds of African American prisoners were forced to work there. Their working conditions were very similar to those during slavery. People believe that some workers who died at the factory might be buried on its land. The company's history was talked about in the book Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2008. The factory stopped making bricks in 2011.
History of the Brick Company
The Chattahoochee Brick Company started in 1878. It was built on the east side of the Chattahoochee River in northwest Atlanta. From the very beginning, the company used a system called convict lease. This system forced prisoners to work. By 1886, James W. English owned most of the company. He then moved prisoners from another company he owned to work at Chattahoochee Brick.
That same year, a government report said that making bricks in Georgia was greatly affected by this system. About 30% of all bricks made in the state used forced labor. Many brickmakers felt they had to use this system to compete with Chattahoochee Brick. By the 1890s, Chattahoochee Brick Company managed over 1,200 leased prisoners. About 150 of them worked at the brick factory itself. The rest were forced to work for other companies across Georgia.
When the company was making the most bricks, about 175 workers were there each month. They could produce around 200,000 bricks every day. According to writer Douglas A. Blackmon, hundreds of millions of these bricks are still used in buildings today.
End of Forced Labor
In 1908, the Georgia government made the convict lease system illegal. It officially ended on March 31, 1909. Company leaders worried that the factory would have to close. This was because paying workers would cost more money. However, the factory kept making bricks.
Still, the year after the forced labor system ended, the company's brick production dropped by almost half. Their costs also went up a lot. The Chattahoochee Brick Company continued to operate at this location until the 1970s or 1980s. After it closed, another brick company used the site for a while. In 2011, the entire site was torn down.
Remembering the Past
In 2008, Douglas A. Blackmon released his book Slavery by Another Name. This book talked about the convict lease system in the Southern United States. It specifically mentioned the Chattahoochee Brick Company. The book was later made into a PBS documentary.
Blackmon said about the site, "This is not just a factory where people were treated badly. It’s a place where people were worked to death and buried in unmarked graves." Both Blackmon and others believe that workers who died at the brick factory were likely buried on the property.
Future of the Site
After the brick factory closed in 2011, a group called The Trust for Public Land tried to buy the land. They wanted to turn it into a public park. However, this plan did not happen. In 2016, a company from South Carolina tried to buy the land. They wanted to build a shipping center there. This caused a lot of debate among people who wanted to protect the historical site. In June of that year, the company bought 45 out of 75 acres of the land.
Today, a group called Groundwork Atlanta and many community organizations are working together. They want to create a public park and a memorial on the property. This would honor the people who suffered there.
In 2021, Norfolk Southern began working on the land. They planned to build a refueling station for trains. This caused a lot of protest from people who wanted to protect the history and the environment. In February of that year, Norfolk Southern announced they would not build the rail terminal there. This was a big win for the community.
