City moves to purchase, preserve Chattahoochee Brick Company site

By Collin Kelley

The Atlanta City Council approved a measure in December to purchase and protect the former Chattahoochee Brick Company property, notorious for its abuse of convict laborers forced to work on the site.

Owned by former Atlanta Mayor James English, the brick company supplied material for the construction of houses and buildings in Atlanta after the Civil War. The factory relied on convict labor – mostly African American men – who endured inhumane working conditions that often turned deadly.

The property, located in northwest Atlanta on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and adjacent to Whittier Mill Park, was originally destined to become a fuel terminal for Norfolk Southern, which outraged the community.

Through a partnership with The Conservation Fund, the property acquisition will restore greenspace and memorialize the historical significance of the site. The property was recently added to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Places in Peril” list.

“Our Administration has worked closely with The Conservation Fund and property owner, Lincoln Terminal Company, over the last several months to acquire the former site of the Chattahoochee Brick Company,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to protect the sanctity of this property and honor the thousands of victims who suffered and lost their lives on this land.”

The property agreement will add 75 acres to the over 240 acres of greenspace protected with the help of The Conservation Fund.

The City of Atlanta and The Conservation Fund have partnered in other property acquisitions before, notably the Lake Charlotte Nature Preserve purchase in 2019.