On this site in 1847 stood the E.T. Taylor Cotton Gin Manufacturing Company. In 1854 it became the W.G. Clemons, Brown & Company and operated as such until the Civil War. In 1867 Franklin H. Lummus controlled the company and the name ´Lummus´ became synonymous with the manufacture of cotton gins. The company moved to Juniper, Georgia but returned to Columbus in 1899. Lummus Cotton Gin Company became the world´s largest independent gin manufacturer. Diversification into textile machinery and man-made fiber equipment was reflected in a name change to Lummus Industries, incorporated in 1970.

In 1993, a new company, Lummus Corporation, was formed to purchase certain assets from the bankrupt Lummus Industries. Today, Lummus Corporation is the premiere [sic] manufacturer of cotton ginning equipment.