Confederate States Central Laboratory

The Confederate States Central Laboratory once stood near this location. Erected between 1862 and 1865, this laboratory-factory complex occupied over 100 acres acquired in 1862. It was intended as a permanent facility and center of Confederate States Ordnance testing and production of ammunition. Its main building was a two-storied brick and granite structure 600 feet long. Lieutenant Colonel John W. Mallet (CS), superintendent of all Confederate laboratories, selected this site and had his headquarters here. Machinery and equipment for the facility were fabricated in Macon, Atlanta, Richmond, Virginia, and Leeds, England. The site was surrendered on April 20, 1865, to General James H. Wilson (US). A lawsuit followed over the property title, which was decided by the US Supreme Court in Titus v. US (1874). The site was later used for manufacturing before burning down in 1912.