Rock Creek Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Machine in a Stone Box
Rock Creek Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
1. Machine in a Stone Box Marker
Inscription.
Machine in a Stone Box. Rock Creek Park. Peirce Mill represents the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in America. For centuries, small water-powered mills had ground grain into flour, using human labor in every step of the process. This 1829 mill, on the other hand, was a mechanized marvel, incorporating the latest labor-saving technologies pioneered by American inventor Oliver Evans. Water turned the wheel, which spun a shaft that drove gears, belts, a grain elevator, and a variety of machines. Assisted by gravity and a single miller, the mills machinery automatically turned grain into flour.
Peirce Mill represents the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in America. For centuries, small water-powered mills had ground grain into flour, using human labor in every step of the process. This 1829 mill, on the other hand, was a mechanized marvel, incorporating the latest labor-saving technologies pioneered by American inventor Oliver Evans. Water turned the wheel, which spun a shaft that drove gears, belts, a grain elevator, and a variety of machines. Assisted by gravity and a single miller, the mills machinery automatically turned grain into flour.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1829.
Location. 38° 56.424′ N, 77° 3.101′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Rock Creek Park. Marker can be reached from Tilden Street Northwest west of Beach Drive Northwest, on the right when traveling west. At Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20008, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . "The Unofficial Oliver Evans' National Historic Site". Peirce Mill, Rock Creek Park, Washington, D. C. by T.R. Hazen. (Submitted on December 18, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
2. Machine in a Stone Box Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
3. Machine in a Stone Box Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
4. Breastshot Wheel
Close-up of photo on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
5. Machine in a Stone Box
Close-up of diagram on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
6. Breastshot Wheel
As water drops over the wheel its momentum and weight provide power equivalent to 30 pulling drafthorses.
Close-up of diagram on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
7. You are Here
A dam diverted water from Rock Creek into a headrace, which channeled the water to the mill's waterwheel. Water returned to Rock Creek via a tailrace.
Close-up of map on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
8. Tailrace
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
9. Peirce Mill
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
10. Peirce Mill
Photographed By W. G. Jackman
11. Oliver Evans
Engraving by W.G. Jackman (Wikipedia) -- Modified by ACB.
Photographed By Oliver Evans
12. Plate ⅩⅩⅼ
From The Young Millwright and Miller's Guide by Oliver Evans, 1795
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, December 7, 2014
13. Plaque in the South Gable B I • P 1829
B here may stand for ‘Betsy’ (Betsy and Isaac Peirce, 1824) or ‘Built’ (Built by Isaac Peirce, 1829).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 473 times since then and 9 times this year. Last updated on October 21, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. submitted on December 18, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.