BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Savage Mill -- Mill and Bollman Truss Bridge

MD -- Savage Mill -- Mill and Bollman Truss Bridge:

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[1] SAVAGE_071217_001.JPG	[2] SAVAGE_071217_017.JPG	[3] SAVAGE_071217_020.JPG
[4] SAVAGE_071217_024.JPG	[5] SAVAGE_071217_026.JPG	[6] SAVAGE_071217_029.JPG
[7] SAVAGE_071217_035.JPG	[8] SAVAGE_071217_045.JPG	[9] SAVAGE_071217_046.JPG
[10] SAVAGE_071217_051.JPG	[11] SAVAGE_071217_052.JPG	[12] SAVAGE_071217_061.JPG
[13] SAVAGE_071217_063.JPG	[14] SAVAGE_071217_066.JPG	[15] SAVAGE_071217_072.JPG
[16] SAVAGE_071217_076.JPG	[17] SAVAGE_071217_077.JPG	[18] SAVAGE_071217_084.JPG
[19] SAVAGE_071217_087.JPG	[20] SAVAGE_071217_089.JPG	[21] SAVAGE_071217_092.JPG
[22] SAVAGE_071217_100.JPG	[23] SAVAGE_071217_108.JPG	[24] SAVAGE_071217_110.JPG
[25] SAVAGE_071217_119.JPG	[26] SAVAGE_071217_127.JPG	[27] SAVAGE_071217_130.JPG
[28] SAVAGE_071217_132.JPG	[29] SAVAGE_071217_136.JPG	[30] SAVAGE_071217_141.JPG
[31] SAVAGE_071217_148.JPG	[32] SAVAGE_071217_152.JPG	[33] SAVAGE_071217_155.JPG
[34] SAVAGE_071217_161.JPG	[35] SAVAGE_071217_167.JPG	[36] SAVAGE_071217_173.JPG
[37] SAVAGE_071217_178.JPG	[38] SAVAGE_071217_187.JPG	[39] SAVAGE_071217_197.JPG
[40] SAVAGE_071217_201.JPG	[41] SAVAGE_071217_205.JPG	[42] SAVAGE_071217_208.JPG
[43] SAVAGE_071217_214.JPG	[44] SAVAGE_071217_219.JPG	[45] SAVAGE_071217_231.JPG
[46] SAVAGE_071217_235.JPG	[47] SAVAGE_071217_238.JPG	[48] SAVAGE_071217_243.JPG
[49] SAVAGE_071217_246.JPG	[50] SAVAGE_071217_249.JPG	[51] SAVAGE_071217_259.JPG
[52] SAVAGE_071217_262.JPG	[53] SAVAGE_071217_269.JPG	[54] SAVAGE_071217_280.JPG
[55] SAVAGE_071217_283.JPG	[56] SAVAGE_071217_292.JPG	[57] SAVAGE_071217_297.JPG
[58] SAVAGE_071217_301.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SAVAGE_071217_017.JPG: This is the canal that fed the mill from the river below
2. SAVAGE_071217_024.JPG: You can see the canal came through here and went into the intake section up ahead.
3. SAVAGE_071217_035.JPG: The strainers for the water coming in from the canal
4. SAVAGE_071217_072.JPG: Bollman Truss Bridge
5. SAVAGE_071217_089.JPG: Bollman Iron Truss Bridge: 1869: Spanning the Little Patuxent River is the sole surviving example of the bridging system invested, 1850, by Wendel Bollman, Baltimore engineer. It was the first system, entirely of iron, used by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the first in America. Through 1873, the company built about 100 such bridges.
6. SAVAGE_071217_092.JPG: Savage Mill Viral Service to the Union The mill town of Savage served a vital need for the United States Army after the Civil War began in 1861. William Baldwin, who had purchased the mills in 1859, manufactured canvas for cannon covers and tents. Although cotton was in short supply, Baldwin succeeded in acquiring enough to keep the mill operating. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line to Savage Mill transported Federal troops who occasionally camped in the meadow on the north side of the railroad from Savage Switch. Near here, at Annapolis Junction, Union soldiers en route to Washington in April 1861 managed to avoid the Baltimore Riots. When Gen. Benjamin F. Butler and his Massachusetts regiments arrived in Annapolis by boat via the Chesapeake Bay, they found that Confederate sympathizers had destroyed much of the track and equipment of the Annapolis and Elkridge spur of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The soldiers repaired a locomotive and cars, rebuilt the tracks, boarded the train, and made their way to Washington. Other Federal troops occupied Relay and eventually Baltimore. John Savage of Philadelphia founded Savage Mill, among the oldest surviving textile mills in Maryland and constructed this facilities early in the 19th century. The stone carding and spinning building was built between 1816 and 1823. Mills have been here on the rapids of the Little Patuxent River since the mid-18th century. The Savage Manufacturing Company purchased the site in the 1820s, erected a large factory, and installed machinery.
7. SAVAGE_071217_238.JPG: Mill Life in Savage, Maryland: 1822-1947: "The ideas and purposes of these gentlemen were very grand, and they began operations on the most extensive scale. Their purpose was to establish a general manufacturing town, and laid out the tract in graded streets with dressed curbed stones, built substantial tenements, and erected a large Cotton Mill, Machine Shop, Grist Mill, Foundry and other buildings." -- The Monumental City, 1873. The brothers, Amos, George, and Cumberland Williams, began a cotton manufacturing business in the heart of what is now Howard County during the early nineteenth century. In 1822, "these gentlemen" incorporated the Savage Manufacturing Company in the name of their associate John Savage, a Philadelphia merchant. In spite of their grade ideas, only the cotton manufacturing enterprise succeeded. Men, women and children worked at the mill for long hours -- ten to twelve hours by the toll of the bell in the mills tower, six days a week -- for little pay. In turn, the company often provided inexpensive housing for the workers and in later years made major improvements in the town's utility systems. The mill business had its ups and downs over the course of its first hundred years with family ownership being a hallmark of its operation. In 1859, William H. Baldwin, Jr., purchased the mill at public auction for $42,000. Affectionately known as "Billy," he and his brothers and sisters retained ownership until the early twentieth century. Unlike John Savage, who many never have visited the town that bears his name, the Baldwins built a summer home nearby and maintained a friendly relationship with their employees. In 1876, having weathered the diminished cotton supply brought on by the Civil War, the mill reincorporated as Savage Manufacturing Company of Howard Company and increased its stock to one million dollars. Soon after the turn of the century, it again changed hands, with Rignal Baldwin remaining as president. World War I brought demands for increased production and the addition of 123,000 square feet to accommodate it. Operations continued throughout the Depression, although not at full capacity. Production peaked during World War II when military uses of cotton duck generated lucrative government contracts. Unfortunately, the government was left with a surplus after the War and prices declined. Wages also increased when a brief workers' strike resulted in an agreement with the Textile Workers Union of the CIO in 1945. No longer profitable, the mill closed down two years later and in 1948 was sold to a manufacturer of Christmas tree ornaments. This enterprise was short-lived, however, and soon the mill complex ceased to be the town's center of activity.
8. SAVAGE_071217_243.JPG: Life in the village of Savage revolved around the mill where entire families were often employed from one generation to the next. Many tasks, such as removing filled spindles and carrying baskets of bobbins from one work station to another, were considered light enough for women and children. Heavier jobs and supervisory positions were usually held by men. Wages varied with the strength and skill required for each job. A family's purchases from the company store as well as their rent were educated from the pay they received. Living conditions were crowded in the workers' tenement houses, in sharp contrast to the mill superintendent's and mill owner's spacious homes. Nevertheless, there remains no record of a strike for higher wages until 1945, and then only a brief walkout occurred. In 1947, the company was paying minimum starting wages of 73 cents per hour and providing its employees life and health insurance benefits.
9. SAVAGE_071217_246.JPG: "In the factory were trained a number of young men , some of whom became leading manufacturers..." One of these, David Carroll, went on to establish Mt. Vernon Mills in Baltimore and to become a prominent businessman in that "Monumental City." An entry in Carroll's day-book for the year 1829 reads, "... set in at the machine shop with Mr. Daniel Hack as an apprentice for 3 years. The first year he is to give me 100 & 4 dollars, the second year... one hundred and fifty four dollars and the last year ... two hundred and four dollars and I have to board myself." Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Carroll "commenced work for the Savage Company for $7 per week."
10. SAVAGE_071217_249.JPG: The company provided for many of the town's needs over the years. Under the Baldwins' administration, new water and sewer systems were constructed, electric lighting introduced, and an ice manufacturing plant built. The company farm kept draft animals for hauling materials and goods, removing snow, and collecting garbage. Its orchard yielded an abundant supply of apples for the town. When Carroll Baldwin died, his sister Sallie Baldwin initiated a memorial for him: a community hall with meeting and recreation rooms, and a library. Built of local stone hauled from the river, Carroll Baldwin Memorial Hall was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1922. It is still visible from the Paymaster's Office at the mill and serves as the community library today.
11. SAVAGE_071217_262.JPG: The Future of Savage Mill: The three-phase renovation of Historic Savage Mill, which started in 1985 and ended in 1992, has transformed this 19th century Textile Mill into a specialty shopping marketplace. This 12 million dollar, 200,000 square foot renovation project was privately funded by a Limited Partnership; however, the Departments of Economic and Employment Development from Maryland and Howard County have participated with limited Loan Guarantees. Quality antiques, specialty retail shoppes, art and craft studios, and art galleries are located throughout the seven-building complex. This combination has created a truly unique collection. The future of the Mill is focused on expanding the original concept of a specialty marketplace, and will include other buildings and restorations. Plans have already been explored to build a 25-room Victorian Inn over-looking the Little Patuxent River, accommodating small conferences and conventions. The Great Room banquet facility was built in Phase III with this conference center in mind. The Boiler House, renovated to allow the river to flow underneath it, would be an excellent place for an upscale restaurant. The Wheelhouse, restored with a new plexiglass roof, will allow onlookers to see some of the original Mill machinery. The future of Savage Mill will be exciting, so come back!
Wikipedia Description: Savage Mill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Savage Mill is a U.S. historic cotton mill complex in Savage, Maryland, which has been turned into a complex of shops and restaurants. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The cotton mill:

The mill was started in the 1820s by Amos Williams and his three brothers. They named it and the town in which it still stands after John Savage, who lent them the money to start the business. The main product was cotton duck, used for sailcloth and a wide variety of other uses. Power was originally obtained by damming the Little Patuxent River, which runs adjacent to the mill property. In later years steam engines were used. The mill was served by a spur off the Patuxent branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and in the 1870s a Bollman Truss Bridge was moved to the spur. This bridge survives and is the only one of its kind left.

After World War II the demand for canvas dropped considerably, and the mill shut down in 1947. By this time the complex consisted of twelve buildings.

The Christmas village:

After the mill closed it was bought by Harry Heim, who converted it into a Christmas Display Village. It featured live reindeer, a one ring circus, and a miniature train which carried guests to the mill from a parking lot on U.S. Route 1. This business was relatively short lived, and for some years the mill was used for warehousing.

Renovation:

In 1985 the mill reopened as a collection of restaurants, specialty shops, and antique dealers. This has been expanded over the years to encompass five of the larger buildings in the complex. Plans for the future include renovation of the boiler and wheel buildings in order to allow visitors to view some of the mill machinery. Limited changes were made to the fabric of the buildings, and the original timbers and iron fittings can be seen throughout.
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