Gambles Hill in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Rutherfoord’s Mill

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 3, 2009

1. Rutherfoord’s Mill Marker

Inscription. Thomas Rutherfoord, a Scottish immigrant, built a flour mill on this site around 1800, using water power from the James River and Kanawha Canal. The ruins of the stone foundation can still be seen. Grain milling was the earliest industrial use of the Tredegar site, and was critical to Richmond’s development as an industrial city that was home to the largest flour milling operations in the world. In 1812, Edward Cunningham purchased Rutherfoord’s mill.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.

Location. 37° 32.163′ N, 77° 26.754′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Gambles Hill. Marker can be reached from Tredegar Street, 0.1 miles west of South 5th Street. This marker is located outside the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 Tredegar Street, Richmond VA 23219, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cupolas from the Virginia State Penitentiary (here, next to this marker); Tredegar Spike Mill (a few steps from this marker); Raceways (within shouting distance of this marker); Rail Lines at Tredegar (within

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shouting distance of this marker); The Richmond-Petersburg Railroad Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Worker Housing (within shouting distance of this marker); Company Store (within shouting distance of this marker); President Lincoln Visits Richmond (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

More about this marker. On the left of the panel are a watercolor of the mill and a sketch of coopers making barrels. The caption reads, “The flour mill was only one of several buildings built by Rutherfoord before the Civil War. A corn mill, a cooper’s shop for barrel making, and granaries for storage before milling were built in this vicinity. The quantities of grain produced far surpassed tobacco in the early 1800s, requiring a rapid expansion in transportation, storage, and milling facilities.”

On the upper right is a portrait of Thomas Rutherfoord.

On the right is a drawing of the canal carrying the caption, “The James River and Kanawha Canal not only provided water power for Rutherfoord’s Mill, but also was the conduit for transporting grains from

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 3, 2009

2. Rutherfoord’s Mill Marker

western Virginia.”

On the bottom is a period photograph of the spike mill carrying the caption, “By the 1840s, milling operations had stopped in the flour mill. The Tredegar Iron Works built a spike mill on the earlier foundations in 1859, seen in many photographs taken after the Civil War. Tredegar still used water power from the canal, but made many products for the canal’s direct competitor – railroads.”

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 793 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.