Peirce Mill

Peirce Mill, constructed in 1829, stands as the only extant water-driven grist mill in the District of Columbia. This unique visual landmark serves as a symbol of the milling industry that once flourished along Rock Creek in Washington County (now Northwest Washington, D.C.) The mill, the second such structure on the site, was designed and built by Isaac Peirce and served as the centerpiece to the family's almost 2,000-acre industrial agricultural complex that also included a sawmill, distillery, nursery, orchards, and other related enterprises. The vernacular mill, erected of blue granite quarried locally from the undulating landscape of Rock Creek, reflects the building traditions of Peirce's own Pennsylvania Quaker heritage. Peirce Mill was one of eight mills situated along Rock Creek in the nineteenth century, each reflecting the importance this local industry played in the establishment and development of the city of Washington. Peirce Mill is the sole remaining mill from this significant period in the history of Rock Creek and Washington, D.C. A part of Rock Creek Park since 1892 and under the direction of the National Park Service since 1933, Peirce Mill was meticulously restored to its original 1829 appearance as part of a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. This was one of the first preservation and restoration efforts undertaken by the National Park Service and was conducted under the direction of Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes. The 1935 project, entitled "Restoration of Peirce Mill," was supervised by esteemed architects and architectural historians Thomas Tileston Waterman and Charles E. Peterson. Today, Peirce Mill is the only operational, early-nineteenth-century grist mill maintained by the National Park Service. Locally significant, Peirce Mill is eligible under Criteria A and C with periods of significance extending from 1829 to 1897 and 1934 to 1936. The boundaries, inclusive of 15.612 acres, were depicted by the “Map Showing the Boundaries and Properties of the Proposed Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.," which was produced by W.T. Rossell in 1891. The boundaries outlined on this historic map, which served as justification for the 1969 listing, remain clearly visible, justified, and unchanged.