Initial Plant & Town Site Construction / The Mule Barn

Initial Plant and Town Site Construction, also, The Mule Barn. . Initial Plant and Town Site Construction In 1913, the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) began construction of a reduction plant for the production of aluminum. A townsite, including the Bassel community, was also constructed for Company workers and their families. In 1916, 106 homes for workers were constructed along Sanderson, Lindsay and Glascock Streets. The townsite was incorporated as the City of Alcoa July 1, 1919., The Mule Barn In 1914, the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) built a barn to house teams of mules used in excavation for construction of the first plat. In 1918, the structure was converted into a school for the children of the Bassel community. The building, affectionately known as The Mule Barn, then served as the City of Alcoa municipal building from 1923 until 1961., Captions: , . (Top) The reduction plant under construction in 1913. , (Bottom, clockwise from left) , . Guy Mannering “G. M.” Bassel, Company engineer and City engineer from 1920-1929. , . The Bassel community in 1919. , . Above: 106 of the Cottage Style homes were constructed in 1916. , . Lincoln Road looking toward Calderwood St. , . Lincoln Road looking toward the Company plant and the Mule Barn, 1919. , . The Mule Barn. , . The Mule Barn in winter c. 1920s. , . The Aluminum Company of America School, later the first Bassel School, was established in the Mule Barn in 1918. , . Right: This picture of The Mule Barn, c. early 1920s, shows the location of the building in relation to Calvary Baptist Church located across Rankin Road.