Early Site of Bell Factory
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
From a log blacksmith shop in 1854 grew a bell foundry owned by G. A. Kelly which manufactured cowbells widely used by pioneer ox-team freighters. Later the Kelly plow, one of the first modern plows made in Texas, was manufactured here.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
What started in 1854 as a humble log blacksmith shop in Jefferson grew into a bell foundry under G. A. Kelly, casting the cowbells that clanged from the ox teams of pioneer freighters. The shop went on to make the Kelly plow, one of the first modern plows manufactured in Texas. It was an early spark of Texas industry in a place better known for river commerce.
Why it matters
The Kelly works helped launch Texas manufacturing, turning out farm implements that reshaped agriculture across the young state.
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Related people
- · G. A. Kelly
Themes & tags
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