Dickeyville

Dickeyville as a Unique Asset to the metropolitan Area of Baltimore.

A surviving 19th-Century mill town is unusual in itself; that one is found within the boundaries of a major city is truly extraordinary. As Baltimore continues to grow and its density increases, the importance of Dickeyville as a small rural retreat within the City limits will increase. Its environmental contribution can be compared to that of the City’s parks.

Dickeyville’s reputation has already spread and many visitors to Baltimore make a special effort to see this unusual village with its lovely setting. Dickeyville can have an important role to play in Baltimore’s development as a tourist center.

Economic Factor:

The restoration of Dickeyville as a unique residential area began in the 1930’s through private initiative and was financed completely with private funds. The success of Dickeyville has been due largely to the investment of individual property owners. It is prudent to encourage private investment, which results in an important broadening of the tax base, and development of the City’s assets at no cost to the City.

Dickeyville-Historical Summary

Dickeyville, presently under consideration for designation as an Historical and Architectural Preservation District, became part of Baltimore City in 1918. It is located south of Gwynns Falls, off North Forest Park Avenue, and includes about 118 residential structures, one active church, one school and a group of mill buildings.

The architectural development of Dickeyville reflects its economic growth. The land around the Falls was first recorded on April 25, 1672 when Richard Gwynn gained the exclusive trading rights from the Algonquins. In 1719, Peter Bond, Gwynn’s son-in-law, built a mill to utilize the water power then generated by the Falls. Nothing remains of this early period.

Tschudi Mills

On April 1, 1762 Wimbert Tschudi built a small house and grist mill on the Falls. The foundations of these structures can still be found on Witheredsville Road, the called Tschudi Mill Roads. A structure form the Tschudi era can be found at 2500 Pickwick Road (c.1790). This structure was originally a row of six houses built for millworkers. The architecture of the period is marked by the use of fieldstone and cement and small asymmetrically placed windows with small glass panes.

Franklin Paper Mills

The next recorded mill in the village was the Franklin Paper Mill mentioned in a deed in Towson Court House in 1811. It was located near the present Forest Park Bridge. The houses at 5107 and 5122 Wetheredsville Road date from this period. Stone and cement were still the primary material. However, the windows are large and symmetrically placed and the general portions larger. During this period dwellings in Dickeyville were used as emergency hospitals for soldiers wounded in the battles of North Point and Fort McHenry. Late in the century, for reason unknown today, a number of officers’ quarters at Fort McHenry were dismantled and moved to Dickeyville where they were reerected (2334 Pickwick Road; 2432 Pickwick Road; and 5007 West Forest Park Avenue.)

Ashland Mills (Wethered Family)

A third mill appeared in 1829 when the Wethereds bought the Franklin Paper Mills and converted the paper plant into a textile mill and expanded the facilities with additional stone mills where the present Ballymena Mill now stands. The collective mills were called the Ashland Mills, and the town took the name Wetheredsville. The woolens produced there were of national renown. Stone houses such as 5023 Wetheredsville Road and 2434 Pickwick Road were built for the workers. Under the Wethereds, houses seemed to be built with greater attention to detail. Moreover, there were more windows of standard size and the stonework was of a more regular nature. Public buildings were also constructed at this time. In 1832 a school for millworkers was built (presently a residence, 5002 Wetheredsville Road). In addition, the Wethereds donated land for a house of worship. The structure was first used for a Quaker Meeting House. Late it was converted into a Methodist Church and became known as the Ashland Chapel. It was constructed of local stone and is now a private residence. the I.O.O.F. Hall was dedicated in 1853.

Despite their early prosperity, the Wethereds suffered losses. In 1854 the Ashland plant burned to the ground. Three years later (1857) the Powhatan Dam broke upstream causing approximately $100,000 damage to the Wethereds Mills. In 1868 a large flood washed away several houses and part of the school. However, the greatest loss suffered by the Wethereds, the loss which was to end their dominance of the textile center they created, was brought about by the Civil War. In 1863 the mills were confiscated by union forces.

Dickey Mills

In April 1871, as the result of court proceedings instituted against the Wethereds, the entire mill site was purchased at auction by William J. Dickey for $82,000. The property included 300 acres of land with three mills and a large number of stone and frame structures. The village became Dickeyville. The Dickeys built a number of frame houses for the workers and, in addition, stone structures in the General Grant style were constructed. Good examples of this style are: the mill warehouse of dark gray rubblestone with brick trim at 2423 Pickwick Road (now a studio-residence); the stone row at 2407-11 Pickwick Road, which was probably built by George Ware in 1874, and the building at 2435 Pickwick Road which was uses as the mill office and jail. The cornerstone of the Dickey Memorial Presbyterian Church was laid in 1885. The stone house, now a residence at 5002 Wetheredsville Road, was expanded with frame facilities to include a primary and a high school. In 1890 a clapboard building was erected which served successively as Mechanic’s Hall’ the Parish House, and finally a residence, (5101 Wetheredsville Road). The present Dickeyville Nursery was built as a public school in 1902.

In 1909, the Dickey family lost control of the mills. The prosperity of the mill town started tow to wane. The increasing use of electricity and the rapid improvement of machinery caused the old water and steam powered equipment to become obsolete. The Dickeyville Mills could no longer compete with other mills using modern machinery. This factor, in addition to the gradual breaking-up of the property, contributed to the economic depression the town won experienced in the first part of the 20th Century.

Dickeyville experience a revival in the 1930s. Early in the decade Lawrence Sangston converted a mill warehouse (2423 Pickwick Road) into a residence and studio for R. McGill Mackall. On November 22, 1934, the entire town was sold at auction for $42,000. The Title Holding Company, that held the mortgage, received in the sale 60 acres; 81 dwellings; 3 factories, and a 3-story mansion. Restoration began with Howard A. Stilwell as architect and agent for the development company. Double houses were redesigned and new homes were constructed in keeping with the historic character of Dickeyville. The Dickeyville Improvement Association was formed in 1937.

The Dickey family regained control of the mills in 1954.