Thomson liked the 26-year-old's work and in late 1834 offered him a job as chief engineer for $1,000 a year to help with construction of the new Georgia Railroad.

Peters paid $100 for a rough paddlewheeler trip into camp near Charleston, South Carolina, in the brutally cold February 1835.

In that position he heard many complaints about the name Marthasville, which people thought took too long to write in log books, freight records, etc.

He traded letters with Thomson on the subject and, when the latter suggested Atlanta, Peters began printing up thousands of circulars to distribute from Augusta to Tennessee advertising the new name.

Peters founded the first Atlanta steam factory, a flour mill at the Georgia RR between Butler and Calhoun streets (the location of today's Sloppy Floyd office building).

During the American Civil War, Peters remained in Atlanta until a few days before the invasion of Union General Sherman's army.

After Sherman left Georgia in December 1864, Peters hired James R. Crew to repair the 24 miles (39 km) of destroyed Atlanta and West Point Rail Road; Lemuel Grant worked to repair the nearly 100 miles (160 km) of wrecked Georgia Railroad.

After the Kimball House was destroyed by fire, Peters helped lead the efforts to have that center of Atlanta life rebuilt.

Of his two sons, Edward stayed on the estate and built Ivy Hall, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.