The mill property is part of a land grant named Ridgeley's Forest, surveyed on June 3, 1685, by Colonel Henry Ridgley, a future justice of the peace for Anne Arundel who arrived in the colonies in 1659.[2][3] The property was occupied by Alexander Warfield's (1677–1745) son who transferred it to his cousin, Alexander Warfield (of John) (1704–1740). In 1750, Alexander constructed an early mill along the river at the falls and passed it along to his sons Brice Warfield and John Worthington.[4] The mill was not run profitably and was sold to Francis Simpson (1721-1804) along with portions of "Warfields Range" along the Little Patuxent in 1760. Simpson acquired several local plantation properties and was noted in the 1790 and 1800 Anne Arundel County Census having 16-17 enslaved people working for him by 1800.[5][6]
The cotton mill
Savage Mill and Bollman Bridge in the 1970s
Commodore Joshua Barney had a colorful career as a sailor, merchant and privateer ranging from Philadelphia harbor to Jamaica. He acquired the land we know as Savage when it was still part of Anne Arundel county, referencing it in letters as being at "Elkridge" (The name the nearest port at Elkridge Landing). In 1809, Nathaniel F. Williams (1782–1864) married Caroline Barney, daughter of Joshua Barney, who lived at the Commodore Joshua Barney House built in 1760.[7][8][9] The mill was started next to the Barney house in 1810 by brothers Nathanael F. Williams, Amos Adams Williams (1776-), Cumberland Dugan Williams (1781-) and George Williams (1778-).[10][11] Shortly after starting the enterprise, Joshua Barney and Nathaniel Williams participated in the War of 1812, with Nathanial becoming wounded at the Battle of North Point and Barney wounded at the Battle of Bladensburg.[9] The mill and town were named after the Kingston, Jamaican born John Savage II (1790–1831), of the Philadelphia shipping firm Savage & Dugan. Savage was also known for his association with the old United States Bank.[12][13][14][15] A close family association to the founders of Savage and Dugan is evident in Cumberland Dugan Williams naming. Savage financed the Williams brothers the money to start the business and bought the mill outright in 1823 for $6,667.67.[16] James E. P. Boulden
In December 1821 the mill was chartered as the Savage Manufacturing Company. The main product was cotton duck, used for sailcloth and a wide variety of other uses. On March 26, 1824, $12,000 was loaned from the Bank of Baltimore to expand operations.[17] The mill had established itself early on as a premier site of manufacturing product and machinery for the east coast as noted in an 1825 letter from Daniel Lammott to E.I. Du Pont stating "it would be the best and largest establishment in the country."[18] Most workers were women who were on lockdown throughout their shifts posing a risk of certain peril if a fire broke out. A messenger would deliver notes if communications were needed or they could speak through a small window in the locked door.[19]
By 1829 Amos Williams combined "Whites Contrivance", "Brothers In Partnership", and "Williams Discovery" to expand the mill town to 980 acres. The parcel was named "Conclusion", which was joined with Charles Alexander Warfield's "Wincopin Neck" upstream to form a dam on the Little Patuxent River, which runs adjacent to the mill property. Money was loaned to by additional land from Mrs. Dorsey. Amos managed the company at the time from an office in Baltimore on Calvert street just west of Lexington.[20] In 1831, Mr. Hack, a machinist at the mill developed a machine for reeling and twisting silk that was taken to Washington for a patent[21] The same year, a case of Small Pox struck at least 30 persons.[22] In October 1832, Amos Williams moved to the mill site with a salary of $300 a year to entertain business clients. By this time the cotton mill site had a grist mill, saw mill, machine shop, foundry, blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, brick-making facility, farm, rental houses and company store. That year, Joseph Bancroft used parts manufactured by the mill to establish a mill in Rockdale, Pennsylvania.[18] In 1835 the post office moved from Waterloo to Savage Factory.[23] In 1837, a furnace purchased for $8,000 operated on the mill property but managed separately by Amos A Williams, Cumberland Dugan Williams and Thomas Landsdale.[24] After a drought in June 1836, the company decided to operate a lower cost wagon path to connect to the new B&O railroad and a portion of the Thomas Snowden's property on the Hammond Branch was added to divert water. The same year the company provided slabbing engines, turning lathes and gear cutters to the Harpers Ferry Armory, location John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.[25] From 1836 to 1843, The Savage Manufacturing Company started its own currency with scrip amounts of 25 cents, 50 cents and one dollar.[26] On June 6, 1839 Amos A. Williams resigned due to a sickness that would last until 1844, leaving control of the company to his brother Cumberland Dugan Williams. During his sickness, the company developed "Baldwin's Cotton, Hay and Tobacco press which was manufactured onsite for sales in the Southern states and the Rechm planing machine.[27][28] Additional land was purchased by the mill on November 28, 1843, for $4,755 that included property from Mr. Lambert and William Worthington for firewood and ore for the furnace operations.[29] In 1846, The Savage Manufacturing Company sold existing or manufactured looms and steam power engines for the Powhatan Company in Baltimore.[30] In 1848, Amos A. Williams entered ligation against the Savage Manufacturing Company and his brothers George, Cumberland and Nathanial claiming they tried to force him into poverty from indebtedness during his illness.[31]
The mill had a good source of water power, but the river was unnavigable for delivery. Horses and mules were used to deliver the product to market. In March 1835 the Savage Railroad Company was incorporated by Amos and Cumberland Williams and other investors with $15,000 in stock to bring a rail spur to the mill off the Patuxent branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and in the 1870s a Bollman Truss Bridge was moved to the spur. This bridge survives and is the only one of its kind left. [32]
In 1859, William Henry Baldwin Jr. (1821- ) of the Talbot Jones Co. (Woodward Baldwin & Co.) took over operations as the Savage Manufacturing Company, purchasing the land and factory for $42,000.[33] From 1861 to 1862 the mill closed due to lack of raw cotton from the Southern states during the civil war. The mill was managed by William Henry's son Carroll Baldwin from 1905 to 1918 merging with the New York-based Baldwin, Leslie and Company. In 1918 the company was renamed Leslie Evans and Company after Baldwin's death. Harry M. Leslie (1880-1945) managed the Savage Mill, the Hart Cotton Mill of Tarboro, North Carolina, Postex Cotton Mills of Post, Texas and Clinchfield Manufacturing Company of Marion, North Carolina.[34]
Workers from the factory worked 6 days a week in 10 hours shifts and were issued company scrip in various denominations that were usable in the only store in the village on Commerce street that was also owned by the company.[35]
In 1880, steam engines were installed. In 1911 The Savage Manufacturing Company Patented a process for drying paper using its cotton duck product.[36] Notable factory workers at the mill included Horatio Gambrill of Druid Mills, David Carroll of Mt. Vernon Mills, and Baltimore mayor Samuel Hinks.[12]
In February 1928, in the lull in operations between World War I and World War II, the B&O discontinued its Patuxent rail spur service upstream to the quarries at Guilford, Maryland, leaving Savage at the end of the line.[37] In 1939, Savage still operated as a "company town" under less progressive standards, with the Savage Manufacturing Company stipulating that land it considered donating to the county for a school never be sold for use by an African American, another business, or sales of wine or spirits.[38]
Throughout World War II the mill produced heavy duck for canvas, hoses, refining and sails and community power from the waterwheel. The demand for canvas dropped considerably after the war, and the mill was scheduled to be shut down 1 January 1948. At time the 400 acre complex employed 372, consisted of twelve industrial buildings and 98 houses owned and rented by the mill.[39] Although there were early records of using African American apprentices prior to the civil war, the mill remained segregated through most of its industrial history.[38]
The oldest remaining mill structure is the stone carding and spinning building, probably built between 1816 and 1823. The mill was expanded by the Baldwins before 1881, and that expansion included the brick tower with Romanesque overtones. Other buildings include the weaving shed, preparation area, paymaster's office, and several early-20th century warehouses and power plants.[40]
The Christmas village
After the mill closed it was bought by Harry Heim for $450,000 who converted it into Santa Novelties, manufacturing Christmas ornaments, featuring a Christmas Display Village named "Santa Heim" (Santa's Home) which opened in December 1948.[41] It featured live reindeer, a one ring circus, and a miniature train that carried guests to the mill from a parking lot on U.S. Route 1. A turreted castle was built at the corner of Route One and Gorman Road.[42] The Carol Baldwin Hall was used for sales of Christmas products. Several picket fenced homes along the tree-lined Baltimore Avenue were demolished for the operation.[43]
Production included 65 million Christmas tree globes produced onsite with 400 workers.[44]
This business was relatively short lived. Efforts to rename the town to Santa Heim did not go through, nor did the plan for a hotel and artificial lake with a waterfall. In 1950 the mill was purchased by Albert Winer and his brothers Samuel, Hyman, and Ephraim who used for warehousing by the National Store Fixture Company.[42]
Renovation
In 1975, Winer unsuccessfully attempted to rezone the mill property from industrial to business while starting a restoration attempt. The initial restoration was completed by September 1981. In 1985 Albert Winer's son Jay Winer founded Savage Limited Partnership and reopened the mill as a collection of restaurants, specialty shops, and antique dealers. In 1991, The State of Maryland and Howard County loaned Savage Mill Limited Partnership $900,000. The partnership declared bankruptcy in 1994.[45] This has been expanded over the years to encompass five of the larger buildings in the complex. In 2010, tourism numbers for the mill surpassed one million.[46] A series of zip lines and rope obstacles were built along the mill race creating Terrapin Adventures. In 2015 the mill drew regional publicity after the owner of Rams Head was convicted for videotaping women in a bathroom.[47]
Subdivision
In 2013, the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning issued a comprehensive zoning update that included zoning changes to allow density increases for the "Savage remainder" property. The five acre plateau of woodland with steep drops to the Patuxent on two sides that was not purchased by the county as part of Savage Park. Buzzutto homes proposed a housing project called the Settlement at Savage Mill which included significant grading changes and donations of land by the parks department to the developer to maximize density, which was opposed by a referendum attempt.[48] The 7000-person referendum attempt was suppressed by the landowners' attorney, William Erskine, who sits on the economic development agency as well as the same law firm as County Executive Ken Ulman's father.[49][50]
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between the two. The 908-square-mile (2,352 km2) Patuxent watershed had a rapidly growing population of 590,769 in 2000. It is the largest and longest river entirely within Maryland, and its watershed is the largest completely within the state.
Guilford is an unincorporated community located in Howard County in the state of Maryland. The location is named after the Guilford Mill. Guilford is near Kings Contrivance, one of the nine "villages" of Columbia.
Savage is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Howard County, Maryland, United States, approximately 18 miles (29 km) south of Baltimore and 21 miles (34 km) north of Washington, D.C. It is situated close to the city of Laurel and to the planned community of Columbia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,542. The former mill town is a registered historic place, and has several original buildings preserved within and around the Savage Mill Historic District.
River Hill is the last and westernmost village to be developed in the town of Columbia, Maryland, United States, though some residents maintain addresses in Clarksville. The village is home to 6,520 residents in 2,096 housing units in 2014. The area was used as a game preserve by James Rouse to entertain clients and personal hunting during the buildout of the Columbia project. In 1976, County Executive Edward L. Cochran selected the 784-acre parcel owned by Howard Research and Development for an alternate location for a county landfill; a task force selected Alpha Ridge Landfill instead. Residential construction started in 1990. It is bounded by Maryland Route 108 and Maryland Route 32, and is centered on Trotter Road. The village is divided into two neighborhoods: Pheasant Ridge and Pointers Run, with about 6,500 residents.
Dorsey's Search is a parcel of land patented by John Dorsey of Hockley-in-the-hole (1645–1714) in Baltimore County. The 479-acre (194 ha) property adjacent to the north branch of the Patuxent river was surveyed by Richard Beard in December 1684, and granted to Dorsey in March 1696. The property lying between "Long Reach" and "Elk Ridge" was resurveyed in March 1723 to include 750 acres (300 ha). After several generations of inheritance, a series of legal disputes were held over the land by Rezin Hammond and Richard Ridgley in 1820. In 1827 the property exchanged hands to Robert Oliver, builder of Oakland Mill, who combined it with multiple properties totaling 2,300 acres (930 ha). George Gaither acquired the property in 1838. John Dorsey's grandson, "Patuxent" John Dorsey of "Dorsey's Search" built Dorsey Hall at the site.
Mareen Duvall (1625–1694) was a French Huguenot and an early American settler.
The Commodore Joshua Barney House is a historic home located at Savage, Howard County, Maryland, United States. It was originally situated on a 700-acre tract in modern Savage Maryland named Harry's Lot, at a time when the closest town was Elk Ridge. Both "Haary's Lot" and "Huntington Quarter" were inherited by Charles Greenberry Ridgely, sixth son of Colonel Henry Ridgley and Elizabeth Warfield Ridgley. After the death of Charles Greenberry Ridgely, Thomas Coale purchased portions of the land containing the structure. His daughter would become the famous Commodore Joshua Barney's second wife, bringing the figure from business in Baltimore. In 1809, Nathaniel F. Williams (1782-1864) married Caroline Barney, daughter of Joshua Barney, who in turn expanded an existing mill site on the property to create the Savage Mill.
The Savage Mill Historic District is a national historic district located at Savage, Howard County, Maryland. The district comprises the industrial complex of Savage Mill and the village of workers' housing to the north of the complex.
Whiskey Bottom Road is a historic road north of Laurel, Maryland that traverses Anne Arundel and Howard Counties in an area that was first settled by English colonists in the mid-1600s. The road was named in the 1880s in association with one of its residents delivering whiskey after a prohibition vote. With increased residential development after World War II, it was designated a collector road in the 1960s; a community center and park are among the most recent roadside developments.
The Savage Mill Trail is a 0.8-mile (1.3 km) rail trail that winds along the Little Patuxent River in Savage, Maryland. The trail was formerly part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's rail corridor through central Maryland, but the Howard County Recreation and Parks Department acquired the land in 1978.
Charles Alexander Warfield (1751–1813) was a prominent American in the Howard District of Anne Arundel County Maryland. He was president of the board of regents of the University of Maryland from 1812 to 1813.
The Simpsonville Mill is a historic pre-colonial mill complex in Simpsonville, Maryland, part of the Columbia, Maryland land development.
The Howard County Times is a weekly newspaper serving Howard County, Maryland, USA.
The Duvall Farm was a historic farm located in North Laurel, Howard County, Maryland, United States, now the site of Coastal Sunbelt Produce.
Bushy Park is a historic slave plantation located at Glenwood, Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is located on a 3,940 acre land patent named "Ridgley's Great Park".
Nathaniel F. Williams was an American businessman and politician.
Worthington's Quarters, White Hall, Glen Burnie, Iris Hill, is a historic plantation complex in Columbia in Howard County, Maryland, United States.
The Gordon Property is a site of one of the first residential subdivisions along the historic route one corridor in North Laurel, Maryland.
Thomas Browne II was an early settler of Maryland.
↑ Warfield, Joshua Dorsey. The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties. p.78.
↑ Parran, Alice Norris. Register of Maryland's Heraldic Families: Period from 1634, March 25th to March 25th--1935, Tercentenary of the Founding of Maryland, Volume 2. p.345.
↑ Holland, Celia M. Old homes and families of Howard County, Maryland with consideration of various additional points of interest. p.396.
↑ Warfield, Joshua Dorsey. The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties. p.365.
↑ Warfield, Joshua Dorsey. The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties. p.375.
↑ "Joshua Barney". Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication (259/265): 39. 1919.
↑ Williams, Thomas. American Brave: Story of Admiral Joshua Barney. p.XVII.
1 2 Eshelman, Ralph E.; Sheads, Scott S. Chesapeake Legends and Lore from the War of 1812. p.93.
↑ Williams, Stephen West. The Genealogy and History of the Family of Williams in America. p.297.
↑ The Presbyterians of Baltimore: Their Churches and Historic Grave-yards. 1875. p.106.
↑ Curlander, M. (1885). Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Maryland and in the High Court of Chancery of Maryland, from First Harris & McHenry's Reports to First Maryland Reports 1658-1851, Volumes 25-26. p.223.
↑ "To the Editors of the Mechanic's Free Press". The Free Enquirer: 219. 6 May 1829.
↑ City and Business Directories: Maryland, 1752-1929: Matchett's Baltimore Director, Corrected up to June 1829. June 1829. p.341.
↑ "Misc Intelligence". American Farmer: 277. May 1831.
↑ "The Weather". Christian Advocate and Journal and Zion's Herald: 55. 2 December 1831.
↑ "No title". Spirit of the Times; A Chronicle of the Turf, Agriculture, Field Sports, Literature and the Stage: 4. 12 December 1835.
↑ Curlander, M. (1885). Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Maryland and in the High Court of Chancery of Maryland, from First Harris & McHenry's Reports to First Maryland Reports 1658-1851, Volumes 25-26. p.220.
↑ Smith, Merritt Roe (Apr 30, 1980). Harpers Ferry Armory and the New Technology: The Challenge of Change. Cornell University Press. p.286.
↑ American Numismatic Association (1997). The Numismatist, Volume 110, Issues 7-12. p.1252.
↑ "The Press". American Farmer. 25 March 1840. p.1.
↑ "Nov 1". List of American Patents That Expired in the Year 1841 Journal of the Franklin Institute, of the State of Pennsylvania, for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts; Devoted to Mechanical and Physical Science, Civil Engineering, the Arts and Manufactures, and the Recording of American and Other Patent Inventions: 281. 1 April 1842.
↑ Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals Volumes 25-26. p.218.
↑ Woods, John W. (1853). Reports of Cases Decided in the High Court of Chancery of Maryland, Volume 3.
↑ Maryland High Court of Chancery. Reports of Cases Decided in the High Court of Chancery of Maryland. p.306.
↑ Feaga, Barbara W. Howard's Roads to the Past. p.68.
↑ Feaga, Barbara W. Howard's Roads to the Past. p.67.
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