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by Emily Kimbell on Behalf of Newnan (Author), Foreword Duke Cole Jr. Blackburn (Foreword by)
Founded in 1854 in Coweta County, Georgia, the R.D. Cole Manufacturing Company quickly became one of the most influential businesses of its time. R.D. Cole started the company in a little woodshop to make sashes and doors. The company expanded and became an instrumental player in the manufacturing sector, building sawmills, cornmills, and engines as well as constructing several high-profile buildings and homes. By the 1890s, the organization was the second-largest water tower manufacturer in the country. In 1968, the R.D. Cole Manufacturing Company sold; however, the impact of the company is still present. It is said by locals that the company had a hand in almost every part of Newnan's development. The R.D. Cole Manufacturing Company represents a rags-to-riches'' story of a company that started as a small, personal endeavor and eventually became one of the most profitable companies in the South.
