The Noble Foundry, built in the late 1850s by James R. Noble Sr., originally produced engines for mining and industry. With the onset of the Civil War, it quickly shifted to manufacturing war materials, becoming one of the few Southern factories capable of producing rifled cannons and complete artillery units.

The foundry was destroyed during the fall of Rome in 1864, though its main lathe survived and remained in use until 1972. Today, the lathe and a Corliss steam engine are on display on Jackson Hill, adjacent to the Georgia’s Rome Welcome Center.