Columbus in Muscogee County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Mass - Produced Ice Machines
Photographed By Mark Hilton, February 4, 2017
1. Mass - Produced Ice Machines Marker
and machine shops have fabricated a
variety of items: cotton gins, steam
engines, riverboats, saw and cane mills,
pulleys, gears, stoves, pots, and farming
implements. The most significant
product, one of the world's first
commercial ice machines (a forerunner
of refrigeration and air-conditioning),
was developed by the Columbus Iron
Works in the 1880s and was sold by
the company in this country and
abroad for four decades.
Erected 1983.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 32° 27.447′ N, 84° 59.716′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Georgia, in Muscogee County. Marker can be reached from Front Avenue north of West 6th Street. Located between the railroad tracks and the Chattahoochee Riverwalk (below). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Front Avenue, Columbus GA 31901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Early Industrial Center (here, next to this marker); Soft Drinks (here, next to this marker); Fort Benning (here, next to this marker); Industrial District (here, next to this marker); Carson McCullers (1917 - 1967) (within shouting distance of this marker); Nunnally Johnson (1897-1977) (within shouting distance of this marker); Augusta Jane Evans (1835-1909) (within shouting distance of this marker); Prize-Winning Newspapers (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
this page online
Regarding Mass - Produced Ice Machines. The techniques, which the Columbus Iron Works perfected while building steam engines, allowed it to become a pioneer in the refrigeration industry. In 1872, the Iron Works, directed by George J. Golden, erected the city's first ice machines, but similar devices were already operating in other southern cities. The Columbus Iron Works, however, was one of three companies within the United States to begin mass-producing ice machines in the early 1880's. For the next twenty years, the Iron Works produced the nation's best selling ammonia-absorption machines. It's H. D. Stratton models (which froze from 3 to 100 tons of ice per day) were installed in ice plants throughout the nation, Latin America, and Canada (at prices ranging from $4,400 to $45,500). The Columbus Georgia Convention and Trade Center
Photographed By Mark Hilton, February 4, 2017
2. Mass - Produced Ice Machines Marker (on far right of gazebo)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, February 4, 2017
3. Mass - Produced Ice Machines Marker and stone mount.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 21, 2017. It was originally submitted on February 21, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 273 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 21, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
