Industrial Heritage

Augusta committed itself to industrialization earlier than most Southern cities because of concern that the cotton states were becoming too economically dependent on the industrial North. Grist mills and sawmills first used the water power of swift-flowing streams, but the greatest stimulus to industrial expansion came with the construction of the Augusta Canal. Conceived by influential business leaders led by Henry H. Cumming, the canal was completed in 1847 on three levels along the western edge of the city, with water entering from the river through headgates seven miles upstream. The Augusta Manufacturing Company, a textile mill, became the first industry on the canal, followed by flour mills and foundries that produced agricultural implements, machine parts, and locomotives. During the War Between The States, Augusta's industries became a vital center of war supplies for the Confederate Government, providing food, clothing, and field equipment, while their most important wartime contribution was gunpowder manufactured at an extensive factory completed in 1862. After the war, enlargement of the canal created additional power that supported further expansion of textile manufacturing and related industries along its banks.

Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), Georgia · United States