Skip to main content
Menu Close Menu

Historic Columbia

Donate
  • FAQs
Upcoming Events

Navigation

  • Tours
    • House Tours
      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
      • Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens
      • Mann-Simons Site
      • The Museum of the Reconstruction Era
      • Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
      • Hours and Pricing
    • Garden Tours
      • Garden Database
    • Offsite Tours
      • Walking Tours
    • African American History Tours
    • Online Tours
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • House Tours
      • Walking Tours
      • Early Adventures
    • Traveling Trunk
    • Homeschool Friday
    • Scout Troops
    • Adult Education
  • Preservation
    • Current Projects and Initiatives
      • Bull Street Campus 
      • Columbia's Green Book Sites
      • Veterans Administration Regional Office
      • Women’s Club of Columbia
    • Preservation Awards
    • Resources for the Public
      • For Property Owners
      • For Neighborhoods
      • Take Action!
    • LGBTQ Columbia
  • Support
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Membership
      • General Membership
      • Palladium Membership
      • Corporate Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Partners and Donors
  • Rent a Venue
    • Gardens of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
    • Seibels House and Garden
    • Robert Mills Carriage House and Gardens
    • Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion
    • Recommended Vendors
    • Contact Us
  • About
    • Blog
    • Board Members
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Gift Shop at Robert Mills
      • Online Store
    • Local History
      • Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative
    • Newsletter
    • Staff Directory

Donate

  1. Home
  2. Online Tours
  3. Civil War Sites
  4. 1802 Lincoln Street

1802 Lincoln Street

1802 Lincoln Street

Site of Palmetto Armory and Iron Works

William Glaze and James Boatwright established one of Columbia's most significant 19th-century industries here in 1852. The largest foundry south of Harper's Ferry, Virginia, the Palmetto Armory manufactured firearms and edged weapons under a state contract. In 1854, its name changed to the Palmetto Iron Works to reflect a new use--making iron and brass castings, iron railings, saw and grist mills, and steam boilers and engines. During the Civil War, the foundry's three-story machine shop and a one-story foundry wing retooled to produce various cannon, explosive shells, solid shot, and Minnie balls. Federal troops set off an explosion in February 1865 that destroyed the factory's third story. Following the war, the site resumed its pre-war production, later expanding to make machinery for Columbia's textile mills. Closed in 1927, the property stood vacant until 1941, when the City of Columbia bought it, razed its foundry section and smoke stack, and adapted the remaining machine shop for use as a recreation center.

  • palmetto armory

    Detail from a panoramic painting by Eugene Dovilliers depicts the foundry (center) and the John Taylor House (right) in Arsenal Hill, circa 1858. Image courtesy South Carolina State Museum

  • palmetto armory drawing

    Line drawing of the Palmetto Armory, undated.

  • sc state armory burning of columbia

    The extent of the foundry's damage during the Burning of Columbia is evident in this photograph taken by Richard Wearn in April 1865. Image courtesy South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia

Weapons manufactured at the Palmetto Armory carry the marks "Glaze & Co." and a palmetto tree encircled by the words "Palmetto.Armory/S*C." Though Glaze and Boatwright received a contract to manufacture 6,000 muskets; 2,000 rifles; 2,000 pistols; and 2,000 sabers for the South Carolina state militia, the order was never fully completed. Declared by DeBow's Review of June 1853 to be assembling armaments in "the most perfect manner," the foundry's contract nonetheless enjoyed an abbreviated existence after it became apparent that liberties had been taken in meeting it, namely the mating of second-rate components from northern factories, whose inspection marks had been canceled, with stocks from local craftsmen.

  • Model 1852 Palmetto Amory Pistol.

    Model 1852 Palmetto Amory Pistol. Historic Columbia collection

  • Model 1852 Palmetto Amory Pistol.

    Model 1852 Palmetto Amory Pistol. Historic Columbia collection

  • Model 1852 Palmetto Amory Pistol.

    Model 1852 Palmetto Amory Pistol. Historic Columbia collection

Directions:

    PreviousWest Side of Saluda River

    NextIntersection of Barnwell and Calhoun Streets

    Newsletter Signup

    newsletter signup

    Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for events, news, and updates from Historic Columbia!

    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Flickr
    Historic Columbia

    © 2022 Historic Columbia

    Administrative Offices
    1601 Richland Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Tours
    All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
    1616 Blanding Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

    Website by Cyberwoven