Matoaca in Chesterfield County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Matoaca Mill Site
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, October 15, 2011
1. Matoaca Mill Site Marker
Originally named the Providence Manufacturing Company, Matoaca Manufacturing (Mill) had its beginning here late in the 1700s on land then known as Olive Hill Plantation. Initially operated as a grist mill, by 1838 it was producing cotton cloth and paper. The mill contained 4,000 spindles and 170 looms. The paper it produced was used by publishers in Petersburg and other southern cities. The mill reached its highest number of employees by 1880, the majority of whom were women and children. Early in the 1880s, the mill modernized its plant equipment by adding auxiliary steam engines.
Erected 2009 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-324-b.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.
Location. 37° 13.619′ N, 77° 28.629′ W. Marker is in Matoaca, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. It is at the intersection of Pickett Avenue (Virginia Route 600) and Ferndale Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Pickett Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Central Virginia, and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. Central State Hospital (was approx. 1.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Petersburg State Colony for the Negro Insane (was approx. 1.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Faded Glory. The Progress-Index website entry (Submitted on December 30, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, October 15, 2011
2. Pickett Ave (facing south)
Mill ruins are to the right along the Appomattox River.
Photographed by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1911
3. Matoaca Mill Workers
Group showing typical workers in the small mills of Virginia, while industry is at ebb-tide. Matoaca, Va. June 1911. The little ones on left end "only help some. Have to be 14 to work." Found very few very young workers. Times are slack. Many of the hands have found work in Petersburg. Location: Matoaca, Virginia. Library of Congress [LC-DIG-nclc-02184]
Credits. This page was last revised on December 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,989 times since then and 147 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 18, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
