Shelby Iron Company correspondence during the Civil War

Collection

Identifier: W-0071

No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

This collection contains correspondence, contracts, and receipts relating to the production of iron at the Shelby Iron Works from 1863-1865. Notable items include a contract filed by the Confederate government in 1863 and letters written by W. S. McElwain of the Holly Springs Iron Works.

Dates

Creation: 1863 - 1865

Creator

Williams, A. S., III (Collector, Person)
Churchill, C. B. (Author, Person)
Edwards, Giles (Author, Person)
McElwain, W. S. (Author, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

None

Biographical / Historical

Founded in the 1840s by Horace Ware, the Shelby Iron Works employed the state's first rolling mill, constructed in 1859, and was one of the first iron companies to use hot blast stoves. During the Civil War, the company produced iron plating for the Confederate Navy, constructing the iron plate used to armor the CSS Tennessee and the CSS Mobile. The company expanded its operations, constructing a second blast furnace in 1863 and experimented with the use of coal instead of charcoal to fuel the furnaces. The iron works ceased operation in 1923.

Sources: Alabama Ironworks Source Book and the Encyclopedia of Alabama

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence, contracts, and receipts related to the production of iron at the Shelby Iron Works from 1863-1865.

Physical Location

The A. S. Williams III Americana Collection, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, The University of Alabama

Provenance

Gift of A. S. Williams III, 2010

Related Materials

Robert H. McKenzie dissertation, correspondence, and notes, A.S. Williams III Americana Collection, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama

Shelby Iron Company records, W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama.