Central Iron Works circa 1875. During the final years of the Civil War, Montgomery merchants Hannon, Offutt, & Company built a rolling mill in Helena next to Buck Creek. Called the Central Iron Works, the plant’s construction was superintended by Thomas S. Alvis, a Virginia ironmaster who had who had recently completed a rolling mill for the Confederate government in Selma. The Central Iron Works had just begun operation when it was destroyed by Union cavalry on March 30, 1865. (Contributed/City of Helena Museum)