Avondale Mill
Encyclopedia
The Avondale Mill was a large gable-front stone structure, three stories in height, and 10 bays long by three wide. It was located on the bank of the Patuxent River
in the city of Laurel
, Prince George's County, Maryland
. It was constructed in 1844-1845. At that time it was provided with the machinery for the manufacture of fine cloth, running 1,500 cotton spindles
. In the mid-1850s, it was converted to a gristmill
. The waters of the Patuxent provided a 8-9 foot fall and gave the mill 60-70 horsepower to use. By 1904, the mill employed only 4 people, but produced $10,400 in product annually. Avondale Mill was the only one of Laurel's 19th century mills to have survived into the late 20th century. A devastating fire on December 19, 1991, destroyed the mill. The remains were then demolished and the site cleared for use as a community park.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
in the city of Laurel
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
, Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. It was constructed in 1844-1845. At that time it was provided with the machinery for the manufacture of fine cloth, running 1,500 cotton spindles
Spindle (textiles)
A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...
. In the mid-1850s, it was converted to a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
. The waters of the Patuxent provided a 8-9 foot fall and gave the mill 60-70 horsepower to use. By 1904, the mill employed only 4 people, but produced $10,400 in product annually. Avondale Mill was the only one of Laurel's 19th century mills to have survived into the late 20th century. A devastating fire on December 19, 1991, destroyed the mill. The remains were then demolished and the site cleared for use as a community park.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.
External links
- Avondale Mill, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:LAU-4, including photo in 1978, at Maryland Historical Trust website