On April 28, 1863, Federal troops burned the school and many buildings in LaGrange. The town was never rebuilt, and the land is now a part of Colbert County. The building and trees on the right side of this photograph have been drawn in.
"Pistons account for a major percentage of the daily tonnage of parts cast at the new Ford plant from metal delivered in molten form from a nearby reduction plant of Reynolds Metal Company. Here, a 15-station trunnion wheel moves pistons past three...
"The scale passes for shipping only pistons which fall within a 15-gram weight spread. Underweight and overweight parts are routed out of the approved line. The rough machined pistons also are visually checked before shipment to four Ford engine...
"A scoop of metal taken from the small holding furnace (right foreground) is formed into a complex part by the die casting machine in rapid-fire order."