Algonquin Park in Orange County, New York in the Hudson Valley was a powder mill used to produce gun powder during the Civil War at what was called the Orange Mills. Right before the war began, the mill complex, which dated back to 1815 and the war with Britain, had been expanded to 190 acres in the Hudson Highlands. There are fairly extensive remains of the fort on paved or dirt paths through this wooded area. Several steams run through this park which were used to power the mills used to make the gunpowder.
According to the signage, this mill was one of fifteen mills supplying the Union army with gunpowder. This site supplied 75,000 pounds of gunpowder to Lincoln’s armies. The site was called ‘Orange Mills” at the time of the Civil War because it is in Orange County. Below is the New York State historic sign at the entrance to the mill.
The road to the mill displays some beautiful scenery over a field covered in morning frost.
Here you can see the remains of the gate at the entrance to the old mill complex. While there is no road through here, this site is nicely located next to a mill pond that supplies the water needed to turn the wheels of the mills below.
Below you can see a stream off the mill pond beyond the tree that carries the water down to the mill.
Below you can see the mill pond and dam.
You can see the channel in the dam that allows water to pass through.
Most people will approach the park from Route 52, the South Plank Road, and you will see the mill pond as you turn on Powder Mill Rd. Continue on the road to the entrance to the parking area. It is well marked with picnic tables, restrooms, and signage to help you enjoy your trip. The parking is free and there was adequate space for visitors. The site is used for hiking and bike riding, as well as for historical sightseeing. Children will enjoy the playground there.
After I parked my car I crossed a well-laid out pedestrian bridge over this small stream. You can see the parking lot on the right.
You will see a display after passing over the bridge which explains the site. Please take pictures of the map and the explanations. There are NO signs along the trail talling visitors what the buildings are! Make sure to take pictures of the map, which I used during my visit. Here are some of the information from the kiosk. You can find a copy of the map here.
Here are my screen shots of the guide.
Immediately after I viewed the sign, I bore right and crossed over this stream on a stone bridge.
After the bridge I saw these ruins of buildings to the right of the path. This was the charge house where gunpowder and its ingredients were stored. Many of the buildings have thick walls with open fronts so that if an explosion took place, its force would be directed out without destroying the whole building.
Past this were the areas where water power was used to pulverize charcoal and where wheel mills were used to mix the ingredients for gunpowder.
Here is a 19th Century photo of how the man-made channels looked when filled with water.
There were 25 to 40 workers on site during the Civil War.
Between 1815 and 1901, when the mill closed, there were twenty explosions taking the lives of twenty-eight or twenty-nine of the workers.
These three buildings are all close together surrounded by chain link fence. I then waled back to the path by the bridge and continued along the stream uphill. On the right I could see a saltpeter storage building.
Past this, I saw water powered mills.
I wondered about this chimney set near where gunpowder was manufactured!
As you can see here, there are many channels for water to reach the mills.
Next to Lower Pond is another water mill.
As you can see, the force of the water comes from gravity.
Rapids and small waterfalls about here, which was a key to mid-19th Century industrialization. And while stream was used in other forms of factories, water was much safer when working with explosives.
The Middle and Upper ponds you can see an underground charge house for storage beyond the trashcan in the middle.
Here is the charge house in a close-up. Above you can see what has become the iconic building on the site.
While the building looks like some product of 19th Century Mill technology, it has a very mundane purpose. Workers at the mill spent ten hours a day, six days a week, working with gunpowder. They did not want to bring that dangerous product home to their families at their houses that still surround the site. Here in their building they changed their clothes and bathed to get the toxic powder off of their bodies.
The cupola on top of the wash house has a bell, the same bell used a century ago, to summon workers and announce changes in shifts and warn of danger.
I went back to my car by hiking along a dirt trail by one of the streams.
The park is at 54 Powder Mill Rd, Newburgh, NY 12550.
All color photos were taken by Pat Young. To see more sites Pat visited CLICK HERE for Google Earth view.
Sources:
Historical Society of Newburgh
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