Augusta Machine Works, Jackson, Adams, & Campbell Streets, Augusta Canal, Augusta

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER GA,123-AUG,45-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

A tract of land bounded by D'Antignac, Jackson, Adams, and Campbell Streets, Augusta, Georgia UTM: Quad: Date of Construction: ca. (original structures) Present Owners; Louise D. Rigsby Sarah D. Ewing 753 Aumond Road Walton Way Augusta, Georgia Augusta, Georgia Conna C. Smith (address unknown; niece of the above two owners)

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER GA,123-AUG,45-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The last remnants were destroyed in early a vacant lot with foundations and the canal headrace mark the site. Significance The Augusta Machine Works built the first industry located on the Augusta Canal's sec- ond level and supplied parts and machinery for canal structures. As the Confederate States Pistol Factory, it manufactured Pigdon- Ansley revolvers, "Confederate Colts," during the Civil War. With its conversion into the Augusta Lumber Company it exemplified the self-sufficient, self-contained lumber operation.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER GA,123-AUG,45-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Robert C. Jorgensen, It is understood that access to this material rests on the condition that should any of it be used in any form or by any means, the author of such material and the Historic American Engineering Record of the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service at all times be given proper credit. Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 2)

The Augusta Machine Works

The first industry to locate on the second level of the Augusta Canal after its completipn in was the Augusta Machine Works, built on a tract of land bounded by D'Antignac, Jackson, Adams, and Campbell Streets. Formed for the purpose of "manufacturing agricultural imple- ments, cotton, wool, and the machinery necessary for the fabrication thereof, locomotives, etc.," the company was incorporated on January 14, [1] Little is known about the machine works' operation except that it did use water power and two structures stood on the premises. Hand-hewn 12xl4-inch and 14xl6-inch beams spanned the width of the 100x50-foot three-and-one-half-story brick main building. [2] A one- story 40x50-foot wheelhouse was attached to its northeast end.

A 50xl50-foot brick warehouse existed northeast of the main structure. [3] According to reports of the Augusta Canal engineer, the Machine Works cast gears and other machinery for the canal headgates and the Street gates. [4] The Augusta Machine Works conveyed the property to the Confederate States of America on August 19, [5] During the last years of the war, the Confederate States Pistol Factory located its operations in the existing buildings at this location as well as structures located on the site of the future Georgia Iron Works along the canal's second level at Street.

[6] Known as Rigdon Ansley and Company, the firm manu- factured iron-frame .12-3top cylinder revolvers referred to as the Pigdon-Ansley pistols or the "Confederate Colts" because of their Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 3) similarity to the Colt revolver. It is uncertain whether the entire pistol-manufacturing process occurred at each site or a portion of it at both.. Between March and January when the business closed, approximately of the pistols had been made in Augusta. [7] At the conclusion of the war the property reverted to the United States government; they, in turn, sold it to James A.

Gray on December 5, [8] Apparently, Gray bought the property with the idea of devel- oping it as a future site for a cotton mill since it was located along the canal with turbines and two good-sized buildings already existing.

In he and several others formed a corporation known as the Dublin Mills for the purpose of manufacturing "cotton and woolen fabrics" on a site adjacent to the canal; the corporation received its charter February 28, [9] The capital stock, set at was raised in Augusta and in the North, but the mill never progressed past its organizational stages, even though a board of directors and president were elected in December The idea of a factory at the Augusta Machine Works site continued to drag on for several years, with Gray planning to "enlarge the factory in [the] future to [a] great size and capacity, and [having] plenty of room for the erection of operatives and such other houses as may be necessary for the proper running of it." The mill was expected to contain spindles and 100 looms and to manufacture colored checks and plaids.

Evidently the pipe dreams came to an end, nothing else being written about it after Stillwell, Millen and Company purchased the land from Gray's estate in for they, in turn, sold it to the Augusta Lumber Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 4) Company for later that year. On June the com- pany was incorporated as a "sash and door factory and planing mill" with a capital of Stillwell, Millen and Company acted as the parent company until its sale to the Southern Pine Company of Savannah on August 5, William Stillwell took charge of opera- tions in the state, and Henry Talmadge of New York City served as president and financial backer of the enterprise. The Southern Pine Company sold the lumber company to Maurice E. and Sallie W.

Dyess between and but the firm retained the name Augusta Lumber Company. It continued to be owned and operated by members of the Dyess family until it was purchased by Addison- Rudesal, Inc., in April The firm moved the company's operations from its original canal site to an industrial park outside the city in Between and the old Augusta Machine Works were leveled in order to save on taxes. Foundations, the headrace, and the turbine wheel pits mark the site. COMPANY OPERATIONS, ADDITIONS, AND ALTERATIONS The Sanborn Fire Insurance map reveals the two original build- ings, a two-story sawing house, and a one-story office building on the grounds.

The planing mill and carpenter's shop were located on the first floor, and the sash, door, and blind manufacturing were on the other floors of the main building. The old warehouse was used as such and also for glazing. The owners quickly expanded the physical plant, and by recent construction included a 40xl00-foot framing shed and Augusta Machine Works liAER GA-14 (Page 5) a 30x50-foot storage 'warehouse, both frame buildings with metal roofs. An 18x20-foot yard office and hardware room, previously mentioned, a 30xl95-foot shed for sheltering lumber, a stable, and other minor structures were grouped on the east side of the canal. (Thoto No.

1.) Seventy skilled mechanics manufactured doors, blinds, sashes, mouldings, and ornamental woodwork, and the lumber company also sold shingles, laths, rough and dressed lumber processed by them from logs shipped in by rail hardware, glass, and other building supplies. With 150 horsepower derived from the canal to run the machinery, the company was indeed a self-contained and very complete lumber operation. Approximately 4 million feet of lumber was processed annually during this period. Growth and improvements continued with two vertical turbines installed in April and a large mail-order house started. (Photo No.

2.) Construction of a large two-story addition on the northwest side and northeast end of the old factory, more lumber sheds, and a new office building was completed by Expansion across Adams Street to the southwest also occurred. Changes and improvements continued to occur after the Dyess family purchased the lumber company, one of the first being the installation of a universal unaflow Skinner steam engine number manufactured by the Skinner Engine Company of Erie, Pennsylvania, around Two Georgia Iron Works boilers burned the waste, sawdust, trimmings from lumber, etc., produced by the' factory.

The owners felt this Augusta Machine !*Jorks HAER GA-14 (Page 6) process gave the company increased self-sufficiency since they were no longer dependent on the canal's fluctuations for adequate power. Later, the driving shafts were broken down into smaller'sections so only those shafts would be turning that were needed to operate specific machinery. Separate motors were attached to the individual pieces of machin- ery after World War II, and full electric power was purchased from the Georgia Power Company for economic reasons ca. Railroad cars laden with timber wound their way through the lumber- yard and across Adams Street to a circular sawmill, where the logs were unloaded, cut, kiln-dried, surfaced, and sent to the various departments to be machined into various products.

The lumber company's departments included the cabinet shop, framing, door, sash (where they also made blinds), shipping, administrative, warehousing, and glazing departments. Shipment of the finished products went throughout the southeastern United States, and much of their custom woodwork was used in the con- struction of wealthy northerners' homes in the Aiken, South Carolina, area before the Depression. Lumber technology and business practices changed and improved when mass production and specialization permeated the industry. The Augusta Lumber Company felt these changes and the social changes in the labor market.

Carpenters found it easier to work with the softer white pine than with the yellow pine previously used, and apprentices could not be found to learn the trades required in such a business. Hill-in-transit operations were impossible to compete with because the company was not equipped for mass production. There were instances in which finished Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 7) wood products could be purchased more cheaply than the company could make them. A vast amount of capital would have been required to re-orient, re-equip, and completely modernize the plant in order to be * competitive. Thus, the "Augusta Lumber Company's lumber and finishing trade declined. The decision to sell the company to Addison-Reudesal, Inc., while retaining the land and buildings was made.

The old self-sufficient, self-contained lumber company operation (Photo No, 3) was incompatible with the revolution taking place within the industry. The Augusta Lumber Company's history reflected these changes. Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 8) Footnotes 1. The incorporators were William M. D'Antignac, John M. Adams, James M. Poe, and William R. Turpin, Jr. Georgia "Laws pp. 2. Interview with George Ewing, former vice-president and general manager of the Augusta Lumber Company, and Louise Rigsby, Augusta, Georgia, 2 August 19 77. 3. It is assumed that the warehouse was built at the same time as the main factory since it is doubtful that its construction occurred during the Civil War; and it is known to have existed previous to Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel, 14 April 4.

Canal Record Book II, p. 131 rpt for December 5, p. 281 rpt for June 4, Vault, Municipal Building, Augusta, Georgia. 5. The date is taken from a copy of the Augusta Lumber Company's title abstract in the possession of George Ewing., Augusta, Georgia. 6. Historic American Engineering Record, Augusta Canal Project, Number 7, Georgia Iron Works 7. Florence Fleming Corley, Confederate City, Augusta, Georgia, (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, pp. 47- 48; Earl L. Bell, "Augusta Made 'Confederate Colts,"' Augusta Magazine, Fall pp. 8. Augusta Lumber Company's title abstract in the possession of George Ewing. 9. The original incorporators were John P. King, James A. Gray, James W. Davies, and William S. Roberts.

Gray was to receive in stock, for the building and land for the mill, Georgia Laws, P* Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel, 14 April 10. (Gray was elected president.) John S. Maxwell, Pleasant A. Stovall, T. R. Gibson, Handbook of Augusta (Augusta: Chronicle and Consti- tutionalist Book and Job Printing Est., pp. 11. Ibid., p. 22. 12. J. T. Derry, Georgia: A Guide to the Cities, Towns, Scenery and Resources (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott and Co., p. 64. 13. William B. Stillwell, Leonard Johnson, and Loring R. Miller were co-partners in the company. Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 9) 14. Augusta Lumber Company's title abstract in the possession of George Ewing. 15. Louise Rigsby, a paper on the history of the Augusta Lumber Company, ca, (Typewritten.) 16. Ibid. 17. Maurice E.

Dyess served as manager under the former owners between and and as president from till his death in F. L. Lancaster served as executive vice-president between and when George Ewing became vice-president and general mana- ger until its sale in 18. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps were available for the years and and a South-Eastern Underwriters Association Fire Insurance map for 19. The Augusta Exchange compiler, The Industrial Advantages of Augusta, Georgia (Augusta: The Akehurst Publishing Co., pp. An 800-pound solid brass bell dated and manufac- tured by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland, hung in a cupola on the main building, evidently another addition by the lumber company. A 250-pound brass and bronze steam whistle sig- nalled the beginning and ending of each day's labor.

Both are in the possession of George Ewing. 20. Ibid. 21. Since there were drawings made and dated at this time, it is assumed that the original turbines were taken out and new ones put in. Steam power was also being used. These turbines may still be in place, though under a concrete slab. 22. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. 23. The steam engine operated under 125 to 140 pounds of steam pressure and turned A/C generator type A.T.B. A General Elec- tric exciter was mounted above it. 24. A list of Surplus Machinery and Equipment is presented in Appendix I, George Ewing compiled the list as a guide in the sale of the equip- ment in February 25.

Interview with George Ewing, former vice-president and general manager of the Augusta Lumber Company, and Louise Rigsby, Augusta, Georgia, 2 Augus.t Most of the information concerning the Augusta Lumber Company was gained through this interview. Augusta Machine Works KAER GA-14 (Page 10) 26. Addison-Rudesal, Inc., relocated outside Augusta, is primarily a wholesale lumber warehouse operation. Augusta Machine Works HAER GA-14 (Page 11) Selected Bibliography Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel provides a contemporary picture of the industries struggling to get started and many times reports the organizational even-ts and future plans for different industries. An excellent source. Augusta Exchange, compiler. The Industrial Advantages of Augusta, Georgia.

Augusta: The Akehurst Publishing Company, Bell, Earl L. "Augusta-Made 'Confederate Colts,'" Augusta Magazine. Fall pp. An article dealing more with small arms in general, but with refer- ences to the pistol factory in Augusta. Corley, Florence Fleming. Confederate City, Augusta, Georgia, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, A good source book with an excellent bibliography on Augusta during these years. It was very useful in obtaining information about the pistol factory during the war. Ewing, George, former vice-president and general manager of the Augusta Lumber Company, and Rigsby, Louise. Augusta, Georgia. Interview, 2 August The greater part of the information about the Augusta Lumber Com- pany's early operation and organization was obtained through the interview.

Pictures of the lumber company's machinery and a title abstract were in the possession of Mr. Ewing. Rigsby had written a short paper on the history of the lumber company. Maxwell, John L., Stovall, Pleasant A., and Gibson3 T. R. Handbook of Augusta. Augusta: Chronicle and Constitutionalist Book and Job Printing Est., Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for the years and and a South- Eastern Underwriters Association Fire Map for were helpful in showing the physical growth of the company through the years.