Pearce's Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pearce's Mill
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 Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Hamilton, Alabama |
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| Area | 15.3 acres (6.2 ha) |
| Built | 1875 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000343 |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1976 |
Pearce's Mill was once a very busy place in Marion County, Alabama, near the town of Hamilton. It was a big center for making things like flour and cotton in the 1800s. People came from all around to use its services and buy supplies.
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What Was Pearce's Mill?
Pearce's Mill started as a small mill along the Buttahatchee River in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, the mill was left empty. After the war, in 1865, a man named James P. Pearce came back and made it a very important place for the local economy.
A Bustling Community Hub
By the 1870s, Pearce's Mill was a thriving center. It had many different businesses and buildings:
- A general store where people could buy almost anything they needed.
- A post office for sending and receiving mail.
- A gristmill to grind grain into flour.
- A sawmill to cut wood for building.
- A flour mill, which was another type of gristmill.
- A cotton gin to separate cotton fibers from their seeds.
- The Pearce family's own house.
James Pearce used mule teams to carry the products from his mills to markets in towns like Tuscumbia.
Why the Mill Closed
Over time, new roads and railroads were built. These made it easier for people to go to bigger towns like Hamilton to shop and trade. Because of this, the general store at Pearce's Mill closed in 1930. The mills stopped working completely in 1959.
What Remains at Pearce's Mill Today?
Most of the old mill buildings were taken down in 1970 because they were not safe. However, some parts of the gristmill and the dam are still there.
The Pearce Family Home
The Pearce family home was built in 1878. It started as a small, two-room house called a dogtrot house. More rooms were added in the early 1900s. In 1916, a second floor was built, making the house bigger. In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) added stone fireplaces to the house.
Other Historic Buildings
Several other old buildings can still be seen at the site:
- A two-story general store, built in the early 1870s, which shows off Victorian architecture.
- A house where tenant farmers used to live.
- An old blacksmith shop.
- A barn.
- A shed.
- The family cemetery.
- An old, unused bridge.
A Place in History
Because of its importance and the buildings that remained, Pearce's Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This means it is recognized as a special place that is important to the history of the United States.
