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Richard Peters (Atlanta)
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroad man and a founder of Atlanta.
Grandson of Judge Richard Peters, Jr.
Richard Peters (Continental Congress)
Richard Peters sometimes Richard Peters, Jr., to distinguish from his uncle, though this can also mean his son Richard), was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783...
(an associate of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
) he was born near Philadelphia at Germantown, Pennsylvania
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
to father Richard (1780-1848), the fourth reporter of decisions
Supreme Court of the United States Reporter of Decisions
The Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States is the official charged with editing and publishing the Court's opinions both when announced and when they are published in permanent bound volumes of the United States Reports. The Reporter of Decisions is responsible for only...
of the United States Supreme Court.
Early career
His early Pennsylvania career found him working with architect William StricklandWilliam Strickland (architect)
William Strickland , was a noted architect in nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee.-Life and career:...
and as a rodman
Gromatici
Gromatici , or agrimensores, was the name for land-surveyors amongst the ancient Romans...
with John Edgar Thomson
John Edgar Thomson
John Edgar Thomson was an American civil engineer and industrialist. Thomson was an entrepreneur best known for his leadership of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1852 until his death 1874, making it the largest business enterprise in the world and a world-class model for technological and...
for $1.50 a day.
Thomson liked the 26-year old's work and offered him a job for $1000 a year to help with construction of the new Georgia Railroad for which he was chief engineer.
One hundred dollars got him a rough paddlewheeler
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
ride into camp near Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
in the brutally cold February 1835.
He worked the state road the eight years it took to complete it from Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
to the new town of Marthasville, Georgia
Marthasville, Georgia
Marthasville was the previous name of Atlanta, Georgia. Marthasville was named after Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter, Martha; it was officially incorporated on December 23, 1843...
, building a life-long friendship with Lemuel P. Grant
Lemuel P. Grant
Lemuel Pratt Grant was an American engineer and businessman.He was Atlanta's quintessential railroad man as well as a major landowner and civic leader....
both of whom began buying land in the new town. When the road was completed, he was made superintendent and while in that position heard many complaints about the length of the name Marthasville which took too long to write in log books, freight, etc. He traded letters with Thomson and when the latter suggested Atlanta, Peters began printing up thousands of circulars distributing them from Augusta to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
advertising the new name which was officially changed in December 1845.
He built a home there and was married in 1848 to Mary Jane, the daughter of early settler Joseph Thompson
Joseph Thompson (doctor)
Dr. Joseph Thompson was an early settler of Atlanta, Georgia, hotelier, and real-estate investor.Born to a Pennsylvania-bred family in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, he practiced medicine as a youth...
. He founded the first Atlanta steam factory, the flour mill at the Georgia RR between Butler and Calhoun (the location of today's Sloppy Floyd
James H. Floyd State Park
James H. Floyd State Park is a 561 acre Georgia State Park located near Summerville at the base of Taylor Ridge . The park is named after Democrat James H. "Sloppy" Floyd who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1953 until 1974 and was from the area...
office building).
With no water, the mill needed to be powered by wood and Peters purchased 405 acres (1.6 km²), the land lots 80 and 47, for $2,000 which is basically all of midtown between North Avenue
North Avenue (Atlanta)
North Avenue in Atlanta is a major avenue in Atlanta that divides Downtown Atlanta from Midtown Atlanta. North Avenue stretches continuously in Atlanta from Candler Park in the east, across Interstate 75 & Interstate 85, along the southern boundary of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to Joseph E...
and 8th St for pine wood.
This land turned out to be the key to his future wealth.
Always interested in transportation, he had run stage coach line from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, but after the completion of the Atlanta & West Point Railroad he moved the northern end to West point and continued from there to Montgomery. He was also an avid live stock breeder and horticulturist and established a nursery in Atlanta in 1854.
The War
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Peters remained in Atlanta until a few days before the arrival of Union General Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's army. In Atlanta, he was the civilian transportation agent for all Atlanta railroads. He contracted with the blockade running Crenshaw Company
Crenshaw Company
The Crenshaw Company was a blockade running company established during the American Civil War.Founded by the Crenshaw brothers of Richmond, Virginia, James was the agent in Nassau and William in Liverpool....
supplying cotton by rail in exchange for foodstuffs.
In early 1861, he sold the steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
from his mill for $12,000 to be used in the Confederate Powderworks
Confederate Powderworks
The Confederate Powderworks was a gunpowder factory during the American Civil War, the only permanent structures completed by the Confederate States of America. Colonel G.W...
at Augusta.
By the time of the Battle of Atlanta
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed...
, he and his family were in Augusta where they stayed until April 1865.
After Sherman left Georgia in December 1864, he had James R. Crew repairing the 24 miles (38.6 km) of destroyed Atlanta and West Point Rail Road
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road
The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta-Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; construction was begun in 1849-50 and completed in May 1854...
and Lemuel P. Grant
Lemuel P. Grant
Lemuel Pratt Grant was an American engineer and businessman.He was Atlanta's quintessential railroad man as well as a major landowner and civic leader....
, the nearly 100 miles (160.9 km) of wrecked Georgia Railroad. By April, the war was over and rail service was restored to Atlanta.
After the war
Atlanta Street Railway Company
The Atlanta Street Railway was the first streetcar system in Atlanta.Originally chartered by the state of Georgia on February 23, 1866 by George Hillyer, Dr...
with real estate man George Adair
George Adair
George Washington Adair was an important real-estate developer in post Civil War Atlanta.-Early life:...
.
After the Kimball House
Kimball House
The Kimball House was the name of two historical hotels in Atlanta, Georgia. Both were constructed on an entire city block at the south-southeast corner of Five Points, bounded by Whitehall Street , Decatur Street, Pryor Street, and Wall Street.-First Kimball House:-Design and construction:In 1870...
was destroyed by fire, Peters helped lead the efforts to have that center of Atlanta life rebuilt eventually having to ask Hanniball Kimball
Hanniball Kimball
Hannibal Ingalls Kimball was an American entrepreneur and important businessman in post-war Atlanta, Georgia.-Early years:Born in Oxford County, Maine to family of Methodist wheel-wrights...
back to town to help raise money.
He began to subdivide his north Atlanta land, first by laying out roads: north/south by trees (myrtle, juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
, etc.) to match the naming of Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street is the main street of Atlanta. The city grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal buildings are or were located along it...
but threw in Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
to harken back to his Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
roots; east/west streets were numbered starting with 3rd St. (since North Avenue
North Avenue (Atlanta)
North Avenue in Atlanta is a major avenue in Atlanta that divides Downtown Atlanta from Midtown Atlanta. North Avenue stretches continuously in Atlanta from Candler Park in the east, across Interstate 75 & Interstate 85, along the southern boundary of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to Joseph E...
and Ponce de León
Ponce de León
-People:* Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer of the Americas and first Governor of Puerto Rico* Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the son of Juan Ponce de León II, and early settler of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
were long-since named) and ending with the northernmost extent of his property, 8th St and built his final home on the highest part: the block bounded by Peachtree, 4th, Cypress and 5th streets.
In 1884 he sold 180 acre (0.7284348 km²) surrounding W.Peachtree to Kimball for $1,000 an acre to create Peters Park
Peters Park
Peters Park is a small community park located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, MA. Its boundaries are Shawmut Avenue, Watham Street, Washington Street and East Berkley. The park provides roughly of multiuse activity spaces, including a baseball field, basketball courts, a children's...
, a development which eventually failed for lack of sales.
In 1887 he sold 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of his remaining holdings to the state for $10,000 and donated another four to help found the Georgia School of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
He left a million dollar estate. Of his two sons, Edward
Edward C. Peters
Edward Conyngham Peters - was an Atlanta real estate developer. He was son of Richard Peters, a founder of the city.Edward inherited Richard's land, railroad and trolley interests in 1889....
stayed on the estate and built Ivy Hall, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, while Ralph
Ralph Peters (LIRR)
Ralph Peters was the son of another railroad man, Richard Peters and president of the Long Island Rail Road. He was elected president of the LIRR in April 1905....
became president of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
.
He is buried in Oakland Cemetery, in Atlanta.