The Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM) has identified over 500 mills throughout Maryland — only a fraction of which are still standing. This exercise illustrates the need to preserve Maryland’s industrial heritage like Preservation Maryland is helping to do along the Jones Falls in Baltimore City.
MAP OF MARYLAND MILLS
The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills has coordinated the research and mapping for nearly 4,000 mills in the region, over 500 of which are in Maryland. Modern technology, like Google apps, maps, and fusion tables, has helped the Chapter share their work by connecting places of the present to mills of the past. Information for the comprehensive and interactive map was gathered from many sources, including mid-to-late 19th-century atlases, directories, and county histories, as well as from archives of personal, state, and SPOOM collections. This map is a great place to begin research about a mill or mill site in the Mid-Atlantic region.
THE MILLS OF THE JONES FALLS
Preservation Maryland is currently headquartered in Meadow Mill along the Jones Falls in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore City. It’s one of many historic mills in the area that have been transformed into restaurants, offices, and apartments. Historically, the Jones Falls provided the power that fueled manufacturing operations in Baltimore and the string of mills along the River had a substantial economic impact on the development of the surrounding area — like worker housing — that created current development pattern to this day.
With mill operations ceased and increased private rehabilitation investment, the area has become a hotbed of redevelopment that brings in neighbors and visitors alike. We are taking this opportunity to connect these new visitors to the history and architecture of the Jones Falls through a serious of interpretive signs research and designed by the Greater Hampden Heritage Alliance that also link to the Explore Baltimore Heritage mobile app. This project is funded in part by the Baltimore National Heritage Area.