Pamplin Pipe Factory, also known as Merrill and Ford, The Akron Smoking Pipe Factory, and The Pamplin Smoking Pipe and Manufacturing Company, is a historic factory and archaeological site located at Pamplin, Appomattox County, Virginia. Located on the property are a wood-framed factory building, a deteriorating brick kiln, and a collapsed brick chimney. It began operation about 1879 and was at one time the largest clay pipe manufacturer in the United States.[3]
Pamplin Pipe Factory | |
 Pamplin Clay Pipe Factory, March 2013 | |
   | |
| Location | Pamplin, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°15′47″N 78°40′48″W / 37.26293°N 78.67994°W |
| Area | 2.9 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1879 |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004169[1] |
| VLR No. | 277-0002 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 25, 1980 |
| Designated VLR | June 1, 2005[2] |
History
editUnder several owners, the factory manufactured pipes through the peak of clay pipe manufacturing, around 1919, and until the business was sold at public auction in 1938. The post-1938 owners changed the focus of the company to novelty and souvenir pipes and retail sale of local home industry handmade pipes, but were unable to make a profit. The company was dissolved in 1952.[3]
Clay pipes made at the Pamplin factory have been found in archaeological sites throughout the United States.[3] Clay making tools from the site, and pipes, have been preserved at several locations.[4][5]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c Keith Bott (May 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Pamplin Pipe Factory" (PDF). and Accompanying four photos
- ^ "Pamplin Pipe Factory, Appomattox County". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ "Pamplin Clay Tobacco Pipes". Museum of Anthropology, University of Missouri. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.