Historic Structures

Manchester Cotton & Woolen Manufacturing Company, Richmond Virginia

Richmond's highly acclaimed tobacco, flour, and iron industries obscured the role cotton manufacturing played in the area during the nineteenth century. The country's largest flour mills shipped the staple to markets around the world while numerous tobacco factories processed the brown leaf for European and domestic buyers, each overshadowing the production of the cotton mills. The location of the city's two cotton mills along the southern bank of the James River in the suburb of Manchester further contributes to the absence of good historical documentation. Perhaps coverage of this industry would be more extensive if it had enjoyed greater prosperity. Nevertheless, the history of one company, the Manchester Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company, does contribute to a better understanding of an early attempt to diversify the region's predominantly agrarian economy. Cotton manufacturing in the antebellum South developed slowly and unevenly. While visionary manufacturers established large mill towns throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, southern planters invested their money in the cultivation of cotton and tobacco fields. They bought land and slaves rather than factories and machines. As long as cotton prices remained high and land relatively cheap, Southern planters had few incentives to invest in manufacturing.

Menokin - Francis Lightfoot Lee House Ruins, Warsaw Virginia

Stratford Hall Mansion, Stratford Virginia

Thomas Lee (l690-175l), for whom Stratford Hall was built, was a grandson of Richard Lee of Stratford-Langton, Essex, England, who came to Virginia and settled first in Gloucester County in 1644. As local Magistrate, member and President of the Governor's Council, and later acting Governor of the Colony, Thomas Lee, exerted considerable influence in the Virginia colony. He was married to Hannah Ludwell of Green Spring, and of his six sons, Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794) and Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734-1797) were both signers of the Declaration of Independence. Philip Ludwell Lee, who inherited Stratford Hall from his father in 1751 and who died in 1775 was a member of the House of Burgesses and a secretary of the Governor's Council. Stratford was acquired by his son General Henry (Lighthorse Harry) Lee (1756-1818) whose own son, Robert E. Lee, was born in the House in 1807. Major Henry Lee, who inherited Stratford in 1818, sold it in 1822. The property was acquired by the Henry D. Storkes in 1828. Mrs. Storke, a sister-in-law of Major Henry Lee, bequeathed the property to her husband's nephew, Dr. Richard H. Stuart. His son, Charles Edward Stuart sold Stratford Hall to the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation, Inc. Nine-bay, two-story Stratford Hall, a fine example of an early eighteenth century planation mansion, is outstanding for its H-plan and its two clusters of massive chimneys. The second, main floor, or piano nobile contains the great hall and other formal rooms. Overall dimensions are 92'6 x 62'8.

Mount Airy Plantation, Warsaw Virginia

This is a villa type of house, with a five-part plan; two story center block, flanking square dependencies, and connecting covered passages. The spreading symmetrical plan was perfect for the Southern plantations, and a number of them proliferated there. Mount Airy is also a rare example of stone masonry during the eighteenth century in Virginia. Although destroyed by fire in 1844, the magnificent interiors may have been executed by the exceptionally talented William Buckland, following his work at Gunston Hall before he moved to Annapolis.

Rosewell Mansion Ruins, White Marsh Virginia

Begun by Mann Page about 1726 and the earliest and finest Georgian residence known to have been built in the English colonies. Rosewell marked a decisive turning point when the major design considerations in American architecture were changing from ones of simple function to those of pure form. The Palladian movement in vogue in Europe and England throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries found a patron in the wealthy planters and landowners of the Tidewater region, men whose idea of a proper social and cultural life was firmly rooted in the customs of the England they had left behind.

Berkeley Plantation - Harrison Family Home, Charles City Virginia

Berkeley, erected in 1726, was the birthplace and life-long home of Benjamin Harrison V, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence for Virginia, planter, politician, and Governor of Virginia. Berkeley was also the birthplace of William Henry Harrison (1773-1841), soldier and President of the United States. Berkeley was built by its owner, Benjamin Harrison IV, in the early Georgian style in 1726. It was apparently the first Georgian mansion in Virginia to use the pedimented end gable, a gable roof with each end being treated as a pediment, complete with modillioned cornice and rake mold. Benedict Arnold, leading British troops in 1781, plundered the Berkeley plantation. The mansion was architecturally altered and its interior redecorated in the Adam style sometime during the period 1790-1800. In 1862, during the Civil War, the plantation, then known as Harrison's Landing, sprang into prominence again with the withdrawal of the Union Army of the Potomac from the Battle of Malvern Hill. The plantation was the supply base for the Union Army, which lay camped in the fields about and General George McClellan maintained his headquarters in the mansion itself until his army was withdrawn to northern Virginia. While the army lingered here in 1862, General Daniel Butterfield originated the bugle call, Taps, on Berkeley Plantation.

Poplar Forest - Thomas Jefferson Retreat, Forest Virginia

Thomas Jefferson displayed throughout his life a fascination with unusual architectural shapes and volumes. In this he shared an interest with the professionally trained architects of his age. Both the oval rooms in the rotunda of the University of Virginia and octagons and semi-octagon incorporated into the final version of Monticello are fine examples of this. Between 1806 and 1819 Jefferson decided to build a retreat in the rural seclusion of Bedford County Virginia. He named his hermitage Poplar Forest, In its design he gave full reign to his fancy and planned a one story octagonal house over a raised basement. In plan the house has four perfectly symmetrical principal spaces in the shape of elongated octagons arranged around a large square central room lit by a central skylight. In planning the grounds Jefferson was also his most fanciful and created miniature hills in the garden to screen the view of the octagonal out-houses from the main house.

Cyclorama Building, Buffalo New York

The building was specifically constructed to house cycloramas, large panoramic paintings which represented a popular entertainment form in the latter half of the 1880's. Two paintings were displayed in Buffalo's Cyclorama, the View of Jerusalem on the Day of the Crucifixion and the Battle of Gettysburg. Both were exhibited for two year periods.

Cambrian Hotel, Jackson Ohio

Ground was broken for The Cambrian on the 8th of September 1900. The cornerstone was laid on March 10th, 1901. The shop on Main Street opened as Stephenson and Foster Dry Goods Merchants on May 14th 1902. On December 22nd 1902 the Cambrian Hotel opened its doors without fanfare. The village of Jackson was established in 1817 as a salt boiling center at natural saline springs which had been used by the Indians before the white man arrived. Congress had set aside this six-mile square tract of land known as the Scioto Salt Reserve in 1796. Jackson was subsequently authorized out of this parcel.

Hegeler Carus Mansion, La Salle Illinois

The Hegeler-Carus Mansion, constructed in 1874-76, is a seven level Second Empire style residence in La Salle, Illinois, approximately six blocks north of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, a National Heritage Corridor and National Historic Landmark district. Designed by noted Chicago architect W. W. Boyington for Edward and Camilla Hegeler, the fifty-seven-room mansion is located on three acres. Occupied by Hegeler descendants from its construction in 1876 until 2004, the mansion exhibits an exceptional degree of interior and exterior integrity. Original wall finishes, stenciling, fixtures, and furnishings are intact. The ground floor featured the office spaces, presses, and typeset of the nationally renowned Open Court Publishing Company, which was established by Hegeler and continued by his son-in-law Paul Carus. The company was based in the house from 1887 to 1936. The Hegeler-Carus mansion, designed by noted architect William W. Boyington, was built to occupy all of Block 29 in the original town of La Salle, Illinois, with its house, outbuildings, landscape features, and grounds. The mansion sits just south of what was the largest zinc-producing company of its day, the Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Company. A winding drive circled from Union Street (now vacated) to the east, then to the main entrance and extended completely around the mansion. The three-acre site of the Mansion and its original landscaping provided a park-like environment. There were flower gardens and trellises, which provided avenues for the trailing vines that extended from the ground to the upper floors of the house. A horseshoe staircase located on the east side of the house, has a large rock garden located in its center. This rock garden serves as a focal point for the main facade. A small bird-shaped reflecting pond is located southwest of the house near Seventh Street. A tennis court (now demolished) was located directly west of the house. A gazebo was located in the southwest corner of the lot but has since collapsed; the stone foundation remains. A trolley was brought in for the Carus children to use as a playhouse, and was located on the northeast section of the grounds. There was a conservatory on the northwest section of the grounds, just west of the garage. The conservatory was designed by Chicago architect William LeBaron Jenney. It deteriorated and collapsed many years ago but long range restoration plans are to reconstruct it.

General Worth Hotel, Hudson New York

Built in one hundred days after a disastrous fire in 1836, the General Worth Hotel is an important architectural monument. It was patterned after the Tremont House, constructed in Boston in 1828-29 by architect Isaiah Rogers, which was the first modern urban hotel in America. The General Worth Hotel was one of the rare remaining examples of this type of prototype urban hotel. The first floor of the General Worth Hotel contained public rooms. On the upper floors were banks of rooms located along simple straight corridors. This interior arrangement was a form totally different from that of eighteenth century inns, which were basically residences adapted to public uses.

Nooksack Falls Hydroelectric Plant, Glacier Washington

The Nooksack Falls powerhouse, containing a relatively small generating capacity of 1,500 kilowatts, is, nevertheless, one of the oldest operating hydroelectric facilities in the state of Washington. Completed in 1906 and designed to serve the electrical needs of Whatcom County, it provides power for the nearby small town of Glacier and its sparsely populated environs. Despite some modifications through the years, most notably the replacement of the original Francis turbine with a Pelton impulse wheel in 1910, and the replacement of the penstocks and relocation of the diversion dam in 1931, the plant and machinery remained largely unchanged until a fire in 1997 destroyed the generator. It was replaced in 2003 and the plant resumed operation. In the Eastern states, the typical hydroelectric plant at the turn of the century was low head, that is, the water dropped only a short distance from the forebay to the turbines, and high volume (meaning a large quantity of water was available.) Electricity generated by Eastern hydroelectric plants was typically transmitted over relatively short distances. The hydroelectric technology developed for conditions in the East, however, was often inadequate when applied to the West. In a region characterized by high elevations, low quantities of water, and long transmission distances, engineers had to modify existing technology, and sometimes invent new technologies, to meet the Western challenge. Their success in finding solutions to such problems is embodied in the Nooksack plant, a typical high-head hydroelectric facility of the early 1900s.

Harpole Covered Railroad Bridge, Colfax Washington

The Manning-Rye Covered Bridge crosses the Palouse River outside of Colfax. It was constructed about 1918 by the Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad, an expansive interurban electric railroad line scheme that extended from the Palouse to Spokane. In contrast to most railroads, the electric railways could provide a frequent, rapid service with numerous stops. Because it was most feasible to construct the electric railroads in well developed areas, the promoters focused on areas like the Palouse, rather than on areas that had no railroad service at all. By the summer of 1907, the electric line to Colfax was completed. Presumably, the Manning-Rye Covered Bridge replaced the original structure constructed over the Palouse River in 1907. The timber housing protects a single span timber Howe truss which rests on timber pile abutments, encased with timber cribs. Because it was necessary to provide for the connection between the locomotive and the overhead electric lines, the top of the bridge was left uncovered. There are doors in the housing to provide access for the maintenance of the truss components.

Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge, Shoreham Vermont

Some of the earliest railroad bridges were timber structures because wood was abundant, cheap, and easy to work with. In 1830, Lewis Wernwag built the first wood railroad bridge in the United States for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad over the Monocacy River in Maryland. Within a short time, wood bridges were commonplace on America's growing network of railroads. Presumably hundreds of covered railroad bridges were built in the nineteenth century. In 1841, one English traveler noted, The timber bridges of America are justly celebrated for their magnitude and strength. By their means the railways of America have spread widely and extended rapidly. By the late nineteenth century, most railroad bridges were being built of iron or steel. In 1957, there were only 29 surviving timber truss railroad bridges in the country. Today there are eight. The Shoreham Railroad Bridge is one of only two wooden covered railroad bridges left in Vermont.

Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge, Hopkinton New Hampshire

Some of the earliest railroad bridges were timber structures because wood was abundant, cheap, and easy to work with. In 1830, Lewis Wernwag built the first wood railroad bridge in the United States for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad over the Monocacy River in Maryland. Within a short time, wood bridges were commonplace on America's growing network of railroads.

Sulphite Covered Railroad Bridge, Franklin New Hampshire

The Sulphite Railroad Bridge, sometimes referred to as the upside-down covered bridge, is a rare example of a deck-type covered bridge having its truss structure below the floor, or deck. This Pratt truss bridge was used to transport sulphur ore to a nearby pulp and paper factory. The Boston and Maine Railroad built it and operated it until 1973. In 1828, Kendall O. and James L. Peabody and Jeremiah F. Daniell established a paper mill near the confluence of the Pemigewasset and the Winnipesaukee (Winnipisogee) rivers, at a site now known as Franklin Falls. In 1854, Daniell bought out the partenership and together with his son, Warren F. Daniell, formed J.F. Daniell & Son. In 1864, Warren bought his father's interest and became sole proprietor, operating the mill until 1870, when the mill property was sold to the Winnipiseogee Paper Company. In 1874, this company was annually producing 2,496 tons of paper, valued at $625,000. In the 1890s, the International Paper Company purchased the property.

Clark's Covered Railroad Bridge, Lincoln New Hampshire

One of only two railroad Howe truss covered bridges remaining in the country, Clark's Bridge is the only one that still carries rolling stock. The covered bridge that would later be known as Clark's Bridge was an important link in the Barre Branch Railroad. The granite quarries attracted railroads to the Barre, Vermont, vicinity. While Barre granite was used in the construction of the state capital at Montpelier between 1832 and 1837, railroads made it possible to transport larger blocks and higher volumes nationally. The Central Vermont Railroad built a spur line in 1876 and the Barre Branch arrived in 1889. Both of these branches crossed the North Branch of the Winooski River just a short distance upstream from its confluence with the Stevens Branch. Railroads and the development of the pneumatic cutting tool contributed to growth. Between 1880 and 1910, the population of Barre grew more than 700 percent; from 2,060 to 14,928.

Taftsville Covered Bridge, Taftsville Vermont

Taftsville, Vermont, is named for the first settler of the village, Stephen Taft, who arrived from Massachusetts around 1793, although there seems to have been agricultural settlement in the vicinity earlier. He soon built a power dam on the Ottauquechee River, and a factory on the south riverbank to make axes, scythes, and other edge tools necessary in this period of expanding agriculture. His brother Daniel Taft arrived as an apprentice in 1794, and later set up his own business. Meanwhile, Stephen Taft built a sawmill on the north riverbank. Later came a plow and stove factory, a gristmill, a shingle mill, a chair factory, a brickyard, a blacksmith shop, a tannery, and a slaughterhouse. Such a busy settlement needed a bridge across the river. The date and style of the first bridge are unknown, but it was lost to a flood in 1807. Floods also washed out two successors in 1811 and 1828. These early bridges were likely either trestles, or simple, multi-span truss bridges that were not covered.

Ben Thresher's Mill, Barnet Vermont

In 1836, a dam was first built here and a saw mill operated on this site from 1836 until 1855. The site was idle from 1855 until 1872. The mill was constructed in 1872 as a Dye & Print Works. A Wagon & Woodworking Shop was established here in 1893 and the Blacksmith Shop added 1895. A Boomer & Boschert hydraulic cider press installed was installed in 1915. Ben Thresher began working at the mill in 1941 and acquired the mill in 1947. Ben Thresher's Mill is located on the Stevens River in Barnet Center, Vermont. The history of the site is recorded in the growth of rural industries and communities in Caledonia County. In the late 18th and early 19th century, saw mills, grist mills and textile mills were built simultaneously with small communities along the many waterways that flow into the Connecticut River. The Stevens River flows out of Harvey's Lake in West Barnet, through Barnet center southeasterly about seven miles and discharges its waters into the Connecticut River at Barnet Village. The Stevens River drains an area of forty-three square miles and falls approximately 450 feet from Harvey's Lake to the Connecticut River. In Barnet Village it falls eighty feet. Stevens Falls provided water power for the first rural mills in Caledonia County, Thresher's Mill is four miles upriver from the first settlement in the county at Stevens Falls.

Flint Bridge, Spanning First Branch White River, Tunbridge Vermont

Most published sources on Flint Bridge say it was built in 1845, but this is in error. No covered bridges are known to have existed in Tunbridge before the 1860s. There were bridges, but only open ones. The main road north up the valley came along the west side of the river, generally following today's Route 110. North of the Flint Bridge turnoff is a steep hillside on the west bank. To avoid this the main road crossed the river here, where there has been a bridge since before 1804. It then entered Chelsea, followed the east riverbank until re-crossing at the Moxley Bridge, and then returned to the present route. When Flint Bridge was built in 1874, therefore, it was on the main road. No details are known of the previous bridge, but it was on a lower level. Ira Mudgett, the builder, lived in Tunbridge and also worked on other bridges. We do not know why he used the queen post truss here, but there is evidence that he re-used some timber from the previous bridge, and if it too was a queenpost truss, the answer may simply be conservatism in design. The town records are complicated because several projects were going on at about the same time, and it is difficult to tell which expenses pertained to Flint Bridge, but the cost seems to have been around $750. The main road was relocated to the west riverbank in the 1890s, leaving the Flint and Moxley bridges on side roads, as we find them today.

Old Fort Randall Church, Fairfax South Dakota

The only visible remains of historic Old Fort Randall, located in Gregory County, South Dakota, is the ruins of an old church. These ruins are on the right bank of the Missouri River, immediately downstream from a large earthfill dam (named Fort Randall) that was built in the late 1940's. The site of the Fort was selected in 1856 by General William S, Harney, Commander of the Sioux Expedition, after spending a winter at Old Fort Pierrea. He suggested that the new post be named after Colonel Daniel Randall, late Deputy Paymaster-General. On 26 June 1856, the post was laid out and construction began. The exact location of the original Fort is not definitely known for according to the Surgeon General's Report for 1875, it was for the most part torn down, and a new post was built during 1870-72, under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel E. S. Otis, Twenty-second Infantry.