The name of Cahill Iron Works still appears on some downtown buildings such as this one in the 600 block of Broad Street. Click to enlarge.
Though only thirty-three years old when he died, John Thomas Cahill made his name in Chattanooga. His name has also been left on Chattanooga through the “Cahill Iron Works” logo which appears on a few local buildings. It’s a detail that one might miss when walking by – “If it had been a snake, it would have bit you,” I’ve been told when I missed seeing something. The Georgia Avenue side of the Park Plaza building and the Broad Street side of the old storefront north of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (formerly Miller Brothers) office both show Cahill’s mark.
Hale-Merritt’s “History of Tennessee” Volume VII contains a short biography of the founder of Cahill Iron Works. John Thomas Cahill was born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1855 but grew up in Chattanooga, where he attended parish schools. At thirteen, he became an apprentice in the moulder’s trade at Webster’s Foundry, one of many in the city
Local businessman and civic leader Tomlinson Fort described Cahill “one of the brainiest men Chattanooga ever had.” At an early age, he had not only mastered the craft of foundry work, but also began to pursue inventions that made foundries more efficient and productive. He founded Cahill’s Architectural Brass and Iron Works in 1875 with an investment of $3,000. The company’s first home was a wood frame building at Broad and Main streets, but it relocated in 1880 to streets eventually named Chestnut and Thirteenth.
Cahill specialized in architectural work, such as grates, mantles, and archways for storefronts. He invented the Cahill grate, and was the first in the south to produce marbelized cast iron. The 1885 publication “Chattanooga: Its Past, Present, and Future” listed Cahill Iron Works as employing 55 workers who produced $75,000 worth of products per year. In 1888, Frank H. Caldwell and Frank Whiteside joined him as investors in the Cahill Iron Works. J.T. Cahill also joined other investors in the new Ross-Meehan Brakeshoe Foundry.
The May 23, 1889 Chattanooga News profiled Cahill Iron Works. The article began by drawing a parallel between Cahill’s accomplishments and those of Julius Caesar, who said “I came and found this city brick; I leave it marble and gold.” Cahill was reported as adding something new to his product line every year. He employed the finest artists in the crafting of mantels, and sold mantels through the United States and in other countries.
Sadly, J.T. Cahill passed away slightly more than a month after the Chattanooga News article on his company. He died on June 27, 1889 following a period of ill health in his last few years. Frank H. Caldwell became president of Cahill Iron Works, with J.J. Mahoney holding the role of vice-president. This management team continued from 1889 through 1921
The Chattanooga Times reported on January 24, 1922 that the Crane and Company of Chicago was acquiring the local Cahill Iron Works. The same newspaper reported on April 29, 1933 in an article with accompanying photograph that the old Cahill Iron Works building at Thirteenth and Chestnut was to be demolished. The Cahill building was constructed in a style similar to the old building on Chestnut Street where Coker Antique Tires currently operates.
If you have other information on the Cahill Iron Works, or can report other sightings of the Cahill name around Chattanooga, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@bellsouth.net.
Advertisement from August 28, 1881 Chattanooga Weekly Commercial. Click to enlarge.