The future of the old Chattahoochee Brick Company site hangs in the balance...
As documented in “Slavery by Another Name” by Douglas Blackmon and other sources, Chattahoochee Brick Company is the site of countless atrocities committed through the use and exploitation of convict laborers who were regularly worked to death to benefit company shareholders including former Atlanta Mayor James English. This 75-acre parcel at the confluence of Proctor Creek and the Chattahoochee River is owned by Lincoln Terminal Company and leased by Norfolk Southern Railway with recently abandoned plans to use the location as a train-to-truck terminal facility, dispensing ethanol and various fossil fuel mixtures via up to 100 tanker trucks per day.
Groundwork Atlanta and a broad coalition of partners including the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Proctor Creek Stewardship Council, Riverwalk Atlanta, and many others are advocating for this site to be developed in a way that is community-oriented, both in its planning and its use. In addition to its tragic historical significance, this place is a critical link between the Proctor Creek Greenway and the Chattahoochee Riverlands, which includes Chattahoochee Brick as a demonstration site for the 100+ mile greenway along the Chattahoochee River.
"The Chattahoochee Brick site is one of many sites across the South where humanity did not act humanely and honorably. We cannot undo the past. However, we can recognize and acknowledge what happened to the convict laborers, and with the community, in an inclusive and meaningful way, memorialize and honor those who lost their lives and were buried at the site." - Jill Arrington, Former Executive Director, Groundwork Atlanta
"The Chattahoochee Brick site is a critical component to both the Proctor Creek Greenway and the Riverwalk Atlanta projects, as it lies at the intersection of these two planned parks and potential sustainable development sites. Another pipeline and tanker truck terminal facility here would not only be unjust, but could potentially limit connectivity and community benefits that would go along with these projects, which are both several years into the planning and implementation phases." - Carly Queen, President, Groundwork Atlanta Board of Directors
In the news:
Norfolk Southern Nixes Plans for Fuel Terminal at Chattahoochee Brick Site - Collin Kelley, Atlanta Intown, February 18, 2021
Norfolk Southern Halts work on Chattahoochee Brick Site after City Raises Objections - J. D. Capelouto, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 15, 2021
Norfolk Southern Stops work on Chattahoochee Brick Site - at Least for Now - Maria Saporta, Saporta Report, February 14, 2021
Groups Call for Work to Stop on Chattahoochee Brick Site, Citing Plant’s Past, Environmental Concerns - Emil Moffatt, WABE, February 10, 2021
Rail Terminal Planned for Former Brick Factory Site where Convicts were Forced to Work - Molly Samuel, WABE, September 1, 2020
Amid Debates about Memorials, Advocates Push to Remember Atlanta’s Forced Laborers - Molly Samuel, WABE, August 21, 2020
This Black History Month, Let’s Recognize the African-American Prisoners Who Helped Build America - Talitha LeFlouria, The Root, February 26, 2019
Forced Laborers Built Atlanta's Streets. How Should the City Remember Them? - Mimi Kirk, CityLab, March 31, 2017
Will the Prisoners Who Labored to Build Atlanta Ever Be Acknowledged? - Josh Green, Atlanta Magazine, February 14, 2017
Debate Over Empty Lot Unearths Ugly Piece of Atlanta History - Molly Samuel, WABE 90.1, June 1, 2016