Iron City Foundry & Machine Works
The Iron City Foundry & Machine Works was an iron foundry and moulding machine manufacturer located on the southwest corner of 2nd Avenue North at 16th Street, next to Jacob Schmidt's blacksmith shop.
The business was founded around 1884 by William Aikin of Louisville, Kentucky and Samuel Lighton, and was also known as Aikin & Lighton's. The foundry advertised railroad castings, sash weights, air grates, ventilators, wagon boxes, pipe boxes, bolster plates, rub irons, couplings, and reach plates for wagons among its offer of "castings of every description."
Moulders and pattern makers employed at the Iron City Foundry included John Aikin, Homer Aikin and George Haines.
The site of the former foundry was later used for construction of the Thomas Jefferson Hotel.
References
- City Directory of Birmingham and Gazetteer of Surrounding Section for 1884-5 (1884) Volume II. Atlanta, Georgia: Interstate Directory Company