Gunpowder Mills on Powder Mill Road

[Smokin'Joe]

A little Massachusetts history from a local publication:

American Powder Mills label from a wooden keg or tin can of black powder. Courtesy of Maynard Historical Society


Gunpowder Mills on Powder Mill Road

By David Mark Posted Jan. 22, 2014 @ 1:09 pm Maynard, Mass.

There was a 105-year history of gunpowder manufacture in this area. A 1921 history of Maynard noted that many local men found employment in the American Powder Mills, adding, "...occasional explosions, sometimes serious, do no permit us to ignore their [APM's] existence." A newspaper account of an explosion on March 12, 1878 described widely scattered body parts of two workers being gathered in pails, including a detached finger with a gold ring. The location of this spread-out complex was along what is now Route 62, encompassing parts of Maynard, Acton, Concord and Sudbury, on north and south sides of the Assabet River.

Read more at:

http://www.maynardlifeoutdoors.com/

 

[4V50 Gary]

That was a fun read. Thank you.

 

[Rigmarol]

I enjoyed that. Thanks.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I live in Mass, not too far from Maynard. I am familiar with the area the powder mill was in, but I only learned about it very recently.

The United States Cartridge Company had a large ammunition plant in nearby Lowell Mass, dating from right after the Civil War. In 1903 there was a horrific explosion, killing 22 employees and nearby residents, and destroying or damaging 70 houses.

http://lowelllandtrust.org/greenwayclassroom/history/USCartridgeCompany.pdf

 

[Smokin'Joe]

DJ, I enjoyed reading about United States Cartridge Company in Lowell, Mass. In 1834 Congressman Davy Crockett visited Massachusetts and was very impressed with Lowell, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Take a look:

http://library.uml.edu/clh/All/croc.htm

 

[Captainkirk]

Joe, great post! Thanks for putting it up!

 

[Chestnut Forge]

There is a swimming hole not far from me called "Brown's Siding". It is a big hole in a creek with a nice flat area along the shore. 100 years or so ago there was a nitro plant there and something went wrong. If you walk through the woods surrounding the area you will find chunks of shattered stone. I have been told that the plant was powered by a water-wheel but no evidence of it remains.