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PEIRCE_160528_020.JPG: The Peirce Family Estate
The stone mill was an important part of the Peirce family's business. Like most farms of the 1800s, this was also a diversified and constantly evolving operation. The family managed hundreds of acres devoted to fields, pastures, and orchards. A sawmill, a nursery, barns, and bee hives dotted the landscape. The Peirce estate also contained housing for the large family, enslaved people, and tenants who made the business a success.
PEIRCE_160528_024.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.
PEIRCE_160528_028.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.
PEIRCE_160528_036.JPG: The Mills of Rock Creek Valley
PEIRCE_160528_041.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.
PEIRCE_160528_043.JPG: Patterson Mill
Located along the western bank of Rock Creek near present day P Street Bridge, Patterson Mill manufactured writing paper. Built around 1800, the three-story mill employed six men, twelve women, and two boys and at one time was valued was $30,000. Operating until the 1820s, the mill's remains were visible until the late 1860s.
PEIRCE_160528_046.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.
PEIRCE_160528_053.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.
PEIRCE_160528_059.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.
PEIRCE_160528_061.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.
PEIRCE_160528_066.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.
PEIRCE_160528_069.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.
PEIRCE_160528_072.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.
PEIRCE_160528_077.JPG: The Outbuildings
PEIRCE_160528_079.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.
PEIRCE_160528_089.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.
PEIRCE_160528_091.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.
PEIRCE_160528_094.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.
PEIRCE_160528_101.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.
PEIRCE_160528_106.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.
PEIRCE_160528_109.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.
PEIRCE_160528_145.JPG: Up until Prohibition, an apple grown in America was far less likely to be eaten than to wind up in a barrel of cider. ...
PEIRCE_160528_163.JPG: Journey Through the Twentieth Century
PEIRCE_160528_170.JPG: 1997-2011: A Mill Makeover
PEIRCE_160528_202.JPG: Slavery and Freedom at Peirce Plantation
PEIRCE_160528_211.JPG: Peirce Mill:
Two Hundred Years in the Nation's Capital
PEIRCE_160528_228.JPG: Joshua Peirce and Linnaean Hill
PEIRCE_160528_435.JPG: Peirce Mill
PEIRCE_160528_507.JPG: Orchards, Fields, Gardens, Pastures
Even in the mill's heyday, the Peirce family ran a diversified farm. They grew vegetables, tended bees, raised livestock for meat and dairy and cultivated fields of wheat, corn, rye, and oats. On this hillside they maintained a substantial orchard. Some of these products were consumed by the family, their tenants, and their enslaved workers. Others were sold at market.
This detail from an 1861 map shows the mill, several other buildings, and the rows of trees on the hillside that made up the Peirce family orchard.
PEIRCE_160528_522.JPG: Machine in a Stone Box
Peirce Mill represents the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in America. For centuries, small water-powered mills had ground grain into flour, using human labor in every step of the process. This 1829 mill, on the other hand, was a mechanized marvel., incorporating the latest labor-saving technologies pioneered by American inventor Oliver Evans. Water turned the wheel, which spun a shaft that drove gears, belts, a grain elevator, and a variety of machines. Assisted by gravity and a single miller, the mills machinery automatically turned grain into flour.
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
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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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Rock Creek Park -- Peirce Mill) directly related to this one:
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2022_DC_Peirce_Mill: DC -- Rock Creek Park -- Peirce Mill (53 photos from 2022)
2021_DC_Peirce_Mill: DC -- Rock Creek Park -- Peirce Mill (2 photos from 2021)
2008_DC_Peirce_Mill: DC -- Rock Creek Park -- Peirce Mill (exterior) (48 photos from 2008)
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2008_DC_Peirce_MillWT_080426: Cultural Tourism DC -- Walking Tour: Peirce Mill to Turn Again (interior tour) (72 photos from 2008)
2016 photos: Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000.
Seven relatively short trips this year:
two Civil War Trust conference (Gettysburg, PA and West Point, NY, with a side-trip to New York City),
my 11th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including sites in Utah, Nevada, and California),
a quick trip to Michigan for Uncle Wayne's funeral,
two additional trips to New York City, and
a Civil Rights site trip to Alabama during the November elections. Being in places where people died to preserve the rights of minority voters made the Trumputin election even more depressing.
Number of photos taken this year: just over 610,000.
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