Moultrie in Colquitt County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Moultrie Packing Company/Swift & Company Meat-Packing Facility
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, April 19, 2022
1. Moultrie Packing Company Marker
In the immediate foreground, was the location of the Moultrie Packing Company/Swift & Company Meat-Packing Facility.
The Moultrie Packing Company was opened for business in 1914. In 1917, Swift & Company took over operations and operated the plant until 1970, at which time Swift built a new plant and transferred operations to that building. The original plant was operated by several smaller operators: Swift Independent Packing Company (1970-1973), Swift Fresh Meat Company (1973-1988), Sunnyland (1988-1989), and Premium Pork Incorporated (1989-1993). In 1993, the plant was sold to Smithfield Pork Company and was closed shortly, thereafter.
Demolition began in 1996. The stockyard buildings were razed in 2007, and the engine room/boiler house and smokestack were demolished in 2011.
The packing plant represented the convergence of modern construction techniques with industrial-scale steam and refrigeration technology. The Swift & Company packing plant was economically and socially embedded in the Moultrie community from 1914 until 2001, at which time most of the complex was razed.
Information obtained from archival documentation prepared by R.S. Webb & Associates, Holly Springs, Georgia.
Neil J. Bowen author and historian, Robert S. Webb Principal Investigator
Topics. This historical marker
this page online
Location. 31° 11.533′ N, 83° 47.368′ W. Marker is in Moultrie, Georgia, in Colquitt County. Marker is on North Main Street (Business U.S. 319) 0.2 miles north of Old Doerun Road, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in a pull-out and parking area on the west side of the highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Moultrie GA 31768, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Vilter Corporation's Corliss Steam-Driven Ammonia Refrigeration Compressor (here, next to this marker); Carnegie Library of Moultrie (approx. 0.8 miles away); Colquitt County (approx. 0.9 miles away); Magnolia Tree (approx. 0.9 miles away); Totem Pole (approx. 0.9 miles away); Colquitt County Courthouse (approx. 0.9 miles away); Colquitt County Confederate Monument (approx. 0.9 miles away); Friedlander's Department Store (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Moultrie.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Swift & Company.
A booming business called the Moultrie Packing Company, later renamed Swift & Company, used to operate on North Main Street(Submitted on May 14, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)in Moultrie. Swift & Company, a pork and beef packing plant, was a huge part of the community from 1917 up until a new plant was built, and operations were transferred in 1970.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, April 19, 20222. Moultrie Packing Company/Swift & Company Meat Packing Facility Site(looking northwest • marker in foreground)
2. Photograph of a plant and stockyard, Moultrie, Colquitt County, Georgia, ca. 1930-1933.
Moultrie, early 1930s. Swift and Company Stockyard. The Swift and Company packing plant, located on North Main Street, can be seen at center rear. This company's operation in Moultrie was referred to as, "The Little Chicago of the South." "On this spot farmers were paid $180,000 in one week. During five winter months each year livestock bought here will run over $100,000 per week." —from field notes(Submitted on May 14, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 531 times since then and 121 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 14, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
