Black Rock Mill and Great Seneca Creek

Black Rock Mill and Great Seneca Creek (HM2F95)

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N 39° 7.614', W 77° 18.87'

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Inscription
Milling Comes to Great Seneca Creek
In 1811 Thomas Hilleary purchased 355 acres of land here on Great Seneca Creek. Four years later he opened Black Rock Mill. an inscription on the east side of the mill reads "Black Rock Mill T.H. 1815."

The Nation's Wheat Basket
Before the Civil War central Maryland was part of the nation's wheat basket. Maryland grain was ground into flour at mills like Black Rock. For farmers the opening of a mill was a major event. Having a nearby mill reduced the time and effort needed to get their grain to market. Some of the flour ground at Black Rock was retained locally to bake bread, but the majority was packed into barrels and sent to seaports like Georgetown for export around the world.

A Social Center
Mills were built to perform a practical function, but they also served as social centers. Due to his extensive business in the region, the miller was usually among the best-informed residents in the community. Dropping by the mill was always a good way to get caught up on the latest gossip.

A Grinding Halt
With the opening of the Ohio Valley to agriculture grain production began to shift westward out of Maryland. Even as the grain trade dried up, Black Rock Mill continued to operate as a saw mill. The mill got a large contract



to saw lumber to construct the steam-powered Bowman Brothers Mill in Germantown. Ironically, this efficient steam mill put Black Rock out of business by the middle 1920s.
Details
HM NumberHM2F95
Tags
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Placed ByMaryland Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, March 30th, 2019 at 2:01pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 299930 N 4333409
Decimal Degrees39.12690000, -77.31450000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 7.614', W 77° 18.87'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 7' 36.84" N, 77° 18' 52.2" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
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