Gunpowder Mills on Powder Mill Road

Smokin'Joe · January 24, 2014, 08:12 AM

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** · January 24, 2014, 08:43 AM

That was a fun read. Thank you.

Rigmarol · January 24, 2014, 12:19 PM

I enjoyed that. Thanks.

Driftwood Johnson · January 24, 2014, 02:47 PM

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/greenwayc...dgeCompany.pdf

Smokin'Joe · January 24, 2014, 07:59 PM

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 · January 25, 2014, 10:24 PM

Joe, great post! Thanks for putting it up!

Chestnut Forge · January 26, 2014, 08:26 AM

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.

January 24, 2014, 08:12 AM	#1
Smokin'Joe Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2010 Posts: 211	Gunpowder Mills on Powder Mill Road 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/ Last edited by Smokin'Joe; January 26, 2014 at 10:58 AM.

January 24, 2014, 08:43 AM	#2
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,831	That was a fun read. Thank you. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

January 25, 2014, 10:24 PM	#6
Captainkirk Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2012 Posts: 144	Joe, great post! Thanks for putting it up! __________________ "You gonna pull those pistols, or whistle Dixie?"

January 26, 2014, 08:26 AM	#7
Chestnut Forge Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2013 Location: Polk, Pa Posts: 123	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. __________________ Every gun I've been behind can out shoot me.

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January 24, 2014, 12:19 PM	#3
Rigmarol Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 344	I enjoyed that. Thanks.

January 24, 2014, 02:47 PM	#4
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	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/greenwayc...dgeCompany.pdf

January 24, 2014, 07:59 PM	#5
Smokin'Joe Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2010 Posts: 211	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