The men who built, operated, and invested in the Athens Factory were prominent Athenians. They included notable University of Georgia alumni and officers, many of whom were also enslavers (Gagnon, 2012). This image, from the Athens Manufacturing Company minute book, lists the Factory’s 1849 investors, who included members of the Hull, Le Conte, Linton, Thomas, and Nisbet families.

Augustin S. Clayton was among the original group of four investors who built the factory in 1833, and Asbury Hull and William L. Mitchell were both officers and investors in the Athens Manufacturing Company. They all served as Secretaries and Treasurers for the University of Georgia.