Historic Structures

Structures of the type Mill

Allendale Mill, Centerdale Rhode Island

The Allendale Mill was built in 1822 by Zachariah Allen for the manufacture of woolens. During its existence it has also served as a cotton mill. The building is particularly important as the earliest known example of the "slow-burning" construction technique, Allen used wood beams of large cross-section, thick floor planking and shingles set in mortar, as innovations to increase the fire resistance of the mill structure and roof sheathing.

The original building is rectangular (37'-6" x 160'-6"), five stories high. The exterior walls are load-bearing stone, random coursing, whitewashed. The interior is the earliest known "slowburning" construction.

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Bomfords Mill, Washington DC

Colonel George Bomford was the builder and first owner of the mill. Milling of various kinds was an important business in Georgetown in the first half of the 19th century, for after 1831 the Chesapeake and Ohio canal provided a reliable source of water with a 30-35 foot fall for the mills. Although Bomford is generally known as an ordnance specialist, he was also a business man of note in Georgetown.

The Dictionary of American Biography (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1931) gives an account of his life. In brief, he was born in New York City in 1782. "His father was an officer of the Continental army in the Revolution. He was appointed a cadet in the army on Oct. 24, 1804, commissioned as second lieutenant of engineers, July 1, 1805, and for the next seven years was engaged upon fortification work in New York Harbor and Chesapeake Bay. He was promoted first lieutenant in 1805, captain in 1808, and major in 1812. Upon the outbreak of the war with Great Britain he was assigned to ordnance duty, for which he proved to have a special talent. Knowledge of the manufacture of ordnance was rare in this country, and his exceptional abilities made him indispensable. The howitzer or shell gun named the Columbiad, from Joel Barlow's epic poem, was Bomford's invention. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of ordnance in 1815, and in 1832 was made colonel and chief of ordnance of the army. Upon the death of Mrs. Barlow, whose sister he had married, he bought the famous estate of Kalorama.... During his occupancy it was famous as the resort of statesmen and diplomats. The trees and plants collected there from all parts of the world, under Mrs. Bomford's judicious direction, made it one of the most notable botanical gardens in the country. The failure of a large cotton mill which Bomford had established on Rock Creek crippled his fortunes, already impaired by unfortunate investments in Washington real estate, and late in life he was obliged to sell Kalorama to settle his liabilities. He died at Boston [March 25, 1848], where he had gone to witness the casting of some heavy guns. Bomford was the greatest ordnance expert of his time in the United States, an inventor of note, and an able organizer and administrator. A good writer and speaker, his opinions carried great weight both in the executive departments and in Congress.... He was a public-spirited citizen, interested in religious, philanthropic, and artistic activities in the District of Columbia, notably in the movement which led to the building of the Washington Monument."

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Crown Roller Mill, Minneapolis Minnesota

Completed in I88O, the Crown Roller Mill is historically significant for its unusual architectural detailing and close association with Minneapolis' "West Side Milling District." As one of the largest and best equipped of the West Side mills, the Crown Roller Mill helped establish Minneapolis as the flouring capital of the United States. Befitting its importance, the Crown possesses a full mansard roof, segmental-arched windows, and other architectural details which mark it as the "architectural gem" of the West Side, where most flour mills were plain, utilitarian structures. Currently, the Crown is one of only four flour mills still standing on the West Side, and is thus an important artifact of the area's past.

The West Side Milling District lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River, adjacent to the Falls of St. Anthony. It is bounded by the river, Fourth Avenue South, South Second Street, and Eighth Avenue South. The Minneapolis Mill Company acquired the land in 1856 to gain riparian title to half the waterpower of the falls. The other half of the waterpower belonged to the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company, which owned land on the opposite shore of the river.

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 Davol Mills, Fall River Massachusetts

 Durfee Mills, Fall River Massachusetts

 Gerber Sheet Metal Works Building, Minneapolis Minnesota

 Harmony Manufacturing Company Mill #3 (Mastodon Mill), Cohoes New York

 Hopkins Mill, West Greenwich Rhode Island

 Lawrence Machine Shop (Everett Mills), Lawrence Massachusetts

 Lippitt Mill, West Warwick Rhode Island

 Minneapolis Boiler Works Building, Minneapolis Minnesota

 Newport Steam Factory, Newport Rhode Island

 Pillsbury 'A' Mill, Minneapolis Minnesota

 Ponemah Mills, Taftville Connecticut

 Rays Warehouse and Office (Corson and Gruman Company), Washington DC

 Sound Democrat Mill, Silverton Colorado

 Standard Mill, Minneapolis Minnesota

 Troy Mill, Troy Minnesota

 Union Mills, Fall River Massachusetts