Columbus Ironworks
Organized in 1853, this facility produced steam engines for the Confederate Navy before being burned by federal troops in April 1865. Functioning again by September of the same year, the firm manufactured cast and wrought iron goods for homes, farms, mills, and riverboats. The plant burned again in 1902, and the company built the structure which still stands on the bluff above the river.
1983
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.