BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Rock Creek Park -- Peirce Mill (exterior)

DC -- Rock Creek Park -- Peirce Mill (exterior):

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Description of Pictures: These shots of the exterior of Peirce Mill and the park ranger section were photographed while the mill building itself was open for the Cultural Tourism DC event.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. PEIRCE_080426_088.JPG: Water Power: (outside sign) Wooden Wheel and Flowing Stream: The leisurely flow of creek water was diverted to the mill race where it was channeled and delivered to the water wheel. The wheel, placed in motion by the weight of the water that filled the wheel buckets, generated the 20 to 40 horsepower needed to keep the mill's wooden machinery and heavy millstones in motion. The illustrated breast wheel closely resembles the original water wheel used to power the mill. The momentum of the creek's flow and the weight of the water-filled buckets generated the mill's power. Periodically, destructive torrents of high creek water would wash away the timber crib dams, and milling operations would be interrupted until the dams were reconstructed.
2. PEIRCE_080426_094.JPG: Pierce Plantation: (outside sign) Cultivated fields and orchards spread out on the more than 1,200-acre tract above the creek. The spring house, family house, distillery, and flour mill remain as evidence of this large working estate along Rock Creek. [The map shows the homestead way above the Spring House and the Distillery being kitty-corner to the flour mill. However, a sign inside says the Peirce estate "once was" located there so it must have been torn down recently.] In 1794, Isaac Pierce, an enterprising millwright, acquired a large tract of land surrounding this mill site. Within two decades, he established a diversified plantation, adding a saw mill, a distillery, and a new larger flour mill to his farming activities. A working household of 26 persons was required to maintain the successful operation. A log dam was constructed above Pierce Mill to provide a reliable source of power for the mills.
3. PEIRCE_080426_112.JPG: Pierce Mill: (historic marker) The last of several grain mills operating on Rock Creek during an era when most American mills derived their power from small streams. Located near an Indian site, the land was conveyed to Isaac Pierce by the Revolutionary patriot William Deakins in 1794. Mill built about 1820 by Isaac and Abner Pierce. Inherited by a nephew Pierce Shoemaker in 1851 and operated until 1897. Purchased by the Federal government in 1890 and restored by the National Park Service in 1936. National Society -- Colonial Dames of America in the District of Columbia National Park Service -- United States Department of the Interior
4. PEIRCE_080426_130.JPG: Lyons Mill Named for owner and miller, Evan Lyons, this mill was located across from the present day Oak Hill Cemetery. It was the earliest mill built along Rock Creek (1780). Operating until 1875, the mill later became a popular spot for barn dances and picnics until the early 1900s. In 1913, the mill collapsed and its ruins were removed for road and trail construction.
5. PEIRCE_080426_134.JPG: Columbian Mill (Adams Mill) This mill was established before 1800, by Benjamin Stoddert, the first Secretary of the Navy. There were at least two structures on the site, a bone mill and a wheat mill. Nothing is known about the bone mill. In 1825, the newly elected sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, purchased the wheat mill and paid a miller to operate it. The mills continued in operations as part of the Adams estate until it ceased operations in 1867. The mill fell into ruins shortly after closing. Located on the grounds of the National Zoo, the remains of the mill were completely removed in the 1890s.
6. PEIRCE_080426_138.JPG: Deakins Mill Deakins Mill produced meal and flour. Less complex in design and not as efficient as newer mills, it was torn down in the early 1800s. Peirce Mill (pictured above) may have been built on the old foundations of Deakins Mill.
7. PEIRCE_080426_140.JPG: Imagine a time without paved roads, automobiles, airplanes, electricity, telephones, or television. Most of Washington, DC's land was used to plant crops and raise cattle. Stone buildings stood along the flowing waters of Rock Creek and those passing close by water would hear wooden gears clattering to the rhythmic beat of wood hammering against wood and splashing water. It was a time when landowners, farmers, and businessmen loaded their wagons with raw products and drove to Rock Creek to conduct business at a mill. Step back into a time when water turned large wooden wheels and local industries bloomed along Rock Creek.
8. PEIRCE_080426_145.JPG: Parrott Mill Briefly operating in the early 1800s, Georgetown merchant Richard Parrott's mill processed cotton and wool into thread. Located at the northeast corner of Q and 27th Streets, the few surviving remnants of the mill walls were removed during the 1920s.
9. PEIRCE_080426_147.JPG: Blagden Mill (Argyle Mill) Built before 1850 and purchased by Thomas Blagden in 1853, the mill was actually two mills in one. It was both a flour and fertilizer mill. During its peak year of 1860, the mill produced 4,200 barrels of flour valued at $24,000. Damaged beyond repair during the famous 1889 Johnstown flood, the Blagden Mills' ruins were removed in 1899 during the construction of Beach Drive. Located on the creek approximately one-half mile north of Peirce Mill and just below the present location of Boulder Bridge, remnants of the mill can still be seen.
10. PEIRCE_080426_151.JPG: The 20th century brought newer and quicker means to produce raw materials that rendered water-powered mills obsolete. However, the contributions of these factories along the waterways of early Washington, DC are self-evident. The water driven mills of yesterday laid the foundation for the nation's industries. We encourage you to stroll along the scenic banks of Rock Creek and visit the sites of these early industrial giants. As you walk along the pathways, listen to the sounds of the creek and imagine a time when the sound of water spilling over large wheels and the clatter of wood against wood resounding through the valley meant America was at work.
11. PEIRCE_080426_154.JPG: Peirce Estate Simple, unassuming stone structures stand within a grove of trees and scenic roadways of Rock Creek Park, recounting the different use of the land before it became a park. Where trees now grow once was the Peirce estate, home to the Peirce family for almost 100 years. Here could be found orchards along with fields of corn, wheat, barley, and rye. It was on this spot that the Peirce family managed the land and its resources.
12. PEIRCE_080426_157.JPG: Isaac Peirce In 1794, Isaac Peirce purchased a small piece of property next to Rock Creek known as the "Gift" (150 acres). He began to cultivate the land and embark on his dream. By 1841, Isaac had acquired over 1,200 acres of land, making his estate one of the largest in Washington, DC. Isaac built a mill in the area of Deakins Mill in 1820. The Peirce family wealth grew by processing the grain grown by his neighbors and on his estate, and selling these products in Georgetown and Washington.
13. PEIRCE_080426_160.JPG: Abner Peirce Isaac Peirce died in 1841 at the age of 85. The majority of his vast estate (960 acres) was willed to his son Abner, the oldest of Isaac's nine children. Abner Peirce was a farmer and stonemason. Little is known about Abner, but records indicate that he grew corn, wheat, rye and oats on the estate. Like his father, Abner used the mill to produce flour and meal from grain.
14. PEIRCE_080426_163.JPG: Joshua Pierce [sic] Joshua Pierce inherited 82 acres of the estate in 1823 from his father, Isaac, and transformed the property into a commercial nursery. An avid botanist, Joshua cultivated and sold fruit and ornamental trees, flowers, plants, and shrubs. Many of the plants he grew may have been used to develop the grounds surrounding public buildings in Washington, DC. His home, known as Linnean Hill, is used today as headquarters for Rock Creek Park and is referred to as Klingle Mansion.
15. PEIRCE_080426_166.JPG: Peirce Shoemaker Peirce Shoemaker , the last owner of the estate, inherited the land from his uncle Abner in 1851. Continuing in the family trade, he raised crops on the estate and processed grain at the mill. Congress created Rock Creek Park on September 27, 1890. The legislation identified several tracts of land belonging to Shoemaker as part of the future park. Peirce died in 1891 before the land transaction was completed. A miller rented the mill from the U.S. government and was allowed to continue mill operations until 1897, when the main shaft broke and the mill was abandoned.
16. PEIRCE_080426_173.JPG: Wagon Barn The wagon barn was adjacent to the mill and just down Peirce Mill Road, now Tilden Street, from the Peirce family home. Hay and feed wood be stored here. It was one of three barns constructed by Isaac Peirce around 1810. The largest of the three was located up the hill from wagon barn. The third barn was constructed on the south side of the road opposite the wagon barn.
17. PEIRCE_080426_176.JPG: Distillery To enrich and diversity his enterprise, Shoemaker converted the stone barn into a distillery. Processed meal from the mill was used to distill corn whiskey and other types of alcohol.
18. PEIRCE_080426_179.JPG: Springhouse The springhouse is just a short walk down the hill from the main house. Built in 1801, the two-story building used the cool waters of a natural spring to keep perishable foods such as eggs, milk and cheese from spoiling. Near the springhouse was the potato house, which stored other less perishable food.
19. PEIRCE_080426_182.JPG: Slavery The wealthy Peirce family contracted a majority of the estate chores and mill operations to others. The family also used slave labor from the late 1790s until 1862. Property records indicate that throughout the estate's history, four Peirce family members owned over 50 slaves. Unfortunately, little is known about the lives of the slaves or their specific duties. The passing of the District of Columbia Emancipation Act in 1862 finally freed the enslaved people on the estate. Peirce Shoemaker was compensated almost $6,000 by the Federal Government for the loss of his slave labor.
20. PEIRCE_080426_185.JPG: Peirce Mill Construction of Peirce Mill was completed in 1829. Peirce Mill used the innovative, automated grain milling designs of inventor/designer Oliver Evans. These were subsequently adapted to conform to advances in milling technology later in the nineteenth century. In 1897, the main shaft broke, stopping mill operations after 77 years. It remained inoperable until the National Park Service restored the mill in the 1930s.
21. PEIRCE_080426_188.JPG: A New Beginning In the meantime, Peirce Mill was developed into a picturesque place for picnics and the building was converted into a teahouse. Patrons could view the waterfall cascading over the rustic-style dam (1905) while dining on sandwiches, various types of salads, and playing in bridge tournaments. Hattie S. Sewell, an African-American entrepreneur, operated the teahouse in 1920 and increased business by over 200 percent. Racial prejudice and political pressure from a neighbor and descendant of the Peirce family led to the non-renewal of her concession license in 1922. Later operators of the Peirce Mill Teahouse were the Girl Scouts of America and the Welfare and Recreational Association of Public Buildings and Grounds, Inc.
22. PEIRCE_080426_191.JPG: A Mill Once More The National Park Service restored the mill with the assistance of the Public Works Administration (PWA) during the mid-1930s. The headrace was repaired to divert the waters of Rock Creek and turn the waterwheel. By 1936, the restoration was complete and the Mill became operational. Visitors could purchase meal and flour ground at the mill.
23. PEIRCE_080426_194.JPG: For generations, the Peirce family worked the land where you now stand. Traces of their efforts can still be seen in the remaining outbuildings that were once part of their estate. In the 18th and 19th century, this land reflected hard work, tenacity and Washington DC's industrial trade. Today, we use the land for contemplation, relaxation, and recreation, forever preserved and protected for future generations. Here you can glimpse a snapshot of America's agricultural past, former industries, and the enduring connections between working people, business activities and the landscape surrounding historic Peirce Mill.
24. PEIRCE_080426_221.JPG: Springhouse This small stone structure was built by Isaac Pierce in 1801. Constructed around a natural spring, it was used as a cooling place for cheese, milk and butter products during the hot summer months. It also provided a clean water supply. A fireplace provided warmth during the winter and buttermilking activities.
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Wikipedia Description: Rock Creek Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ...

Peirce Mill:

Peirce Mill is a water powered grist mill in Rock Creek Park ( [show location on an interactive map] 38�56'25?N, 77�3'7?W). There were at least eight mills along Rock Creek within what is now Washington D.C., and many more further upstream in Montgomery County, Maryland. Of those eight, only Peirce Mill is still standing.

It was built in the 1820s by Isaac Peirce along with a house, barn, and other buildings. It was later owned by a son, Joshua Peirce, and a nephew Peirce Shoemaker. It became part of Rock Creek Park when the park was created in the 1890s.

The family consistently spelled their name "Peirce" (except for some of Isaac Peirce ancestors who went by Pearce). Others often use "Pierce" but not the family. Evidence includes family gravestones, family bible and estate book from Joshua Peirce, and living descendants who still use the old spelling.

The mill was listed on the National Register on March 24, 1969.

The mill is currently not open for tours because of repair work.
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Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [History 1800s (excl wars)] [Park (National Park Service)]
2008 photos: Equipment this year: I was using three cameras -- the Fuji S9000 and the Canon Rebel Xti from last year, and a new camera, the Fuji S100fs. The first two cameras had their pluses and minuses and I really didn't have a single camera that I thought I could use for just about everything. But I loved the S100fs and used it almost exclusively this year. Trips this year: (1) Civil War Preservation Trust annual conference in Springfield, Missouri , (2) a week in New York, (3) a week in San Diego for the Comic-Con, (4) a driving trip to St. Louis, and (5) a visit to dad and Dixie's in Asheville, North Carolina. Ego strokes: A picture I'd taken last year during a Friends of the Homeless event was published in USA Today with a photo credit and everything! I became a volunteer photographer with the AFI/Silver theater. Number of photos taken this year: 330,000.
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