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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Watery Wednesday

(what is left of the cotton mill @ Harpers Ferry)

Once the largest building on Virginius Island, this 1848 four-story brick structure sported steam heat and gas lighting and boasted the latest machinery for making "yard-wide sheeting and shirting at less than Baltimore prices." The cotton mill operated under various owners until just prior to the Civil War. After the war, the new partnership of Child & McCreight converted the factory into a flour mill.

Business at the flour mill lagged. Production was first disrupted by the 1870 flood. The mill finally was abandoned after a flood in 1889 ended all hope for economic recovery.


Linking up with Watery Wednesday!

17 comments:

  1. A fine shot of what is left. Very informative and interesting account of the business.

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  2. Interesting photo, with the opening in the brick wall and all that lovely water!!

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  3. the split in colour of the water between the main body, and that on the shoreline is interesting. great capture.
    Shaun

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  4. I love Hapers Ferry...that area is so full of history! Thanks for the info!

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  5. Nice mix of sun and shade. Thanks for the history lesson too!

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  6. kind of sad to see just the foundation left there.

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  7. What an interesting photo! There are so many old mills around here in varying states of repair and disrepair. I find them fascinating.

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  8. love that stream of lush yellow light teaming through. You never know what you find on a ramble around day.

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  9. Thank you for the interesting history and the fascinating photo. I like this watery photo very much.

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  10. Would loved to have seen it in its hay day! Thank you for the history. :)

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  11. Tanya, well captured photo, excellent. I find history like this so interesting.

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  12. Sad story... but that spot of yellow is beautiful! ;)

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  13. What an unusual composition and I love the contrasts in colors from the treeline to the foreground. You were at the right place, right time to capture this shot.

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  14. Fascinating history and great photo. The brilliant light streaming through the arch is so surprising, given the quiet background.

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  15. Beautiful ith a sense of surreal...

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