Cary's Mill Overlook Historical

Cary's Mill Overlook Historical (HM1WMD)

Location: Richmond, VA 23234 Chesterfield County
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 37° 26.283', W 77° 26.277'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 647 views
Inscription

circa 1750

—Falling Creek Ironworks Park —

Archibald Cary established an iron forge on the south bank of Falling Creek in 1750. The Chesterfield forge, as it was known, converted pig iron into bar iron. Initially unprofitable and shut down, the forge would be restarted and become instrumental in producing materials for the Continental troops during the American Revolution.

Ampthill Mill

Remains along the north bank of Falling Creek appear to be those of William Byrd's 17th-century grist mill, taken over by Henry Cary and then by Archibald Cary. The mill is possibly one of the few 17th-century buildings surviving in Virginia. It was named for the 18th-century Cary plantation Ampthill, which adjoined the 69-acre mill tract to the north. Ampthill Mill was typical of the larger "merchant" mills in the area at the time. It had access to ports that could ship flour to Europe, the West Indies and South America and contributed to the Cary family's economic and political power.

The mill was purchased by John Watkins in the 1850s and continued to operate until about 1905. It was converted from a grist mill to processing mica for paint.

Early Mill History

The 1760s and 1770s saw commercial grist mills, called merchant mills, appear on a broad scale. Mills were located to take advantage of important
water and timber resources. Mills produced flour and lumber important for building construction, food and trade. Milling was economically important to Chesterfield County and critical in the development of the settlement of the local area, state and nation. Falling Creek was the ideal site for milling due to abundant timber, water and access to major transportation routes.

Grist mills were essential to Chesterfields plantation economy and supported an export industry. Decline of tobacco prices led to the rise of wheat as a cash crop. Wealthy planters operated mills to serve their needs and their neighbors. Commercial mills ground up grain for sale in city or foreign markets.

These mills served the region until the early 20th century, losing ground to larger commercial mills. They ground wheat, corn and other grains for human consumption and animal feed.

(captions)
Cary's Mill ruins
Bubbly forge slag
Details
HM NumberHM1WMD
Tags
Year Placed2016
Placed ByFalling Creek Ironworks Foundation, Chesterfield Heritage Alliance
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, January 26th, 2017 at 9:02am PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 284314 N 4146258
Decimal Degrees37.43805000, -77.43795000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 26.283', W 77° 26.277'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 26' 16.98" N, 77° 26' 16.62" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6407 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Richmond VA 23234, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?