The Orange Grove Flour Mill was a

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

mill established in 1856. It was one of the leading flour mills in the Mid-Atlantic states until it was destroyed in a fire in 1905.

History

The Mill was established in 1856 by a partnership of Dailey and Worthington. It was originally one of many flour mills and other industries built along the river near

Ellicott City Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...

. In 1860, the mill with a production of 500 barrels a day was sold to Charles A. Gambrill Esq. It was one of the only structures not badly damaged by a flood on 24 July 1868, and was back online in mid August. It quickly became the leading flour manufacturer in the area, though the flood did also lead to a general period of decline in the area, a former Mid-Atlantic leader in manufacturing. For a time, Orange Grove Flour Mill was the largest flour mill east of

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. While the five story mill was owned by the C.A. Gambrill Manufacturing Company, it produced a peak between 1,200 and 1,500 barrels of flour daily. In 1905, the mill burned down in a fire, and was never rebuilt. Orange Grove Flour was sold in string tied white bags that were labeled "Patapsco Superlative Flour."

Current condition

Today, only ruins from the mill remain, which are visible next to the rebuilt

Patapsco Swinging Bridge The Patapsco Swinging Bridge is located in the Avalon/Orange Grove area of Patapsco Valley State Park in central Maryland, United States. It is a suspension bridge consisting of a wooden deck supported by large cables. The Patapsco Valley has a h ...

. which was originally constructed to allow mill employees to cross the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

from the Howard County to the

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

side to work. After

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

in 1972, the Mill ruins were largely destroyed. Today, all that is visible is part of the Mill's retaining wall and a piece of a former coal chute for trains.

Location

The ruins of the Orange Grove Mill are located between the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Railroad tracks and Grist Mill Trail in the Orange Grove Area of

Patapsco Valley State Park Patapsco Valley State Park is a Maryland state park extending along of the Patapsco River south and west of the city of Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It ...

. The Mill ruins are located near the middle of the trail about 1 1/3 miles from the trail entrance at Lost Lake, and about 1 mile from the trail entrance at Ilchester Road, near

Bloede's Dam Bloede's Dam was a hydroelectric dam on the Patapsco River in Maryland. It was the first known instance of a submerged hydroelectric plant, where the power plant was actually housed under the spillway. It is also recognized as one of the earliest ...

. The ruins are also accessible via an unmarked rocky trail that runs down to the park from the entrance of the All Saints Convent on Hilton Avenue in

Catonsville Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census. The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of th ...

, MD.

References

{{coord, 39.241159, -76.74968, type:landmark, display=title Flour mills in the United States Grinding mills in Maryland 1856 establishments in Maryland 1905 fires in the United States Buildings and structures demolished in 1905 Buildings and structures in Howard County, Maryland