Near Pamplin in Appomattox County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Clay Smoking Pipes
Photographed By Craig Swain, April 18, 2010
1. Clay Smoking Pipes Marker
Inscription.
Clay Smoking Pipes. . According to local tradition, residents of this region were making clay smoking pipes here by the mid-eighteenth century. By 1879 the Pamplin Pipe Factory was in operation. Machines there were used to mold clay into pipes, which were then allowed to dry. After drying, the pipes were fired in a kiln, cooled, and shipped in barrels throughout the world. By 1919 the clay pipe industry had peaked, but the factory supplied a national and international market well into the 1930s. The factory may have produced one million pipes a month at the height of its output. The factory closed by 1952.
According to local tradition, residents of this region were making clay smoking pipes here by the mid-eighteenth century. By 1879 the Pamplin Pipe Factory was in operation. Machines there were used to mold clay into pipes, which were then allowed to dry. After drying, the pipes were fired in a kiln, cooled, and shipped in barrels throughout the world. By 1919 the clay pipe industry had peaked, but the factory supplied a national and international market well into the 1930s. The factory may have produced one million pipes a month at the height of its output. The factory closed by 1952.
Erected 2001 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number M-67.)
Location. 37° 16.531′ N, 78° 41.241′ W. Marker is near Pamplin, Virginia, in Appomattox County. Marker is at the intersection of Business U.S. 460 and U.S. 460, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 460Business . Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pamplin VA 23958, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Remains of the pipe factory. The kiln mentioned on the marker is to the left. The factory is located about one mile south on Business 480, near the intersection with Route T-1103.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,297 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 25, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
