City - Alexandria VA - A view from Pioneer Mill Jigsaw Puzzle

Colorized photo from 1865, May Original Title: View from Pioneer Mill Original Photographer: Andrew Russell Location: Duke and Strand St., Alexandria, VA We are standing on to of the Pioneer Mill. It was built in 1854, when running it was the largest steam flour mill in the country. It stood 6 stories high, and produced 800 barrels of flour a day. Using 4000 bushels of wheat each day, they ran out of the material quickly. The surrounding area could not produce what this plant needed. Despite being next to a marina and a train service, they could never bring in enough, as a result, they failed and were in a lot of debt. The ended up selling their mill wheels, and using the building as a storage facility during the war. Warships docked there as well. The building changed hands a number of times over the years. In 1896, a cyclone damaged it, and in 1897, it burned to the ground. It stood empty till 1910, till the Emerson Engine Company built a machine shop there, in its foot print. The building was later torn down in 1937... Then later in 2017, they found the original foundation of this very mill. You can't see the mill in this image because we are on it. This location is roughly on the corner of Duke and Strand st. Further up is where waterfront park will be. At least one building survives to this day and that's the Fitzgerald Warehouse, presently it holds a famous coffee store. It located roughly near that green building in the middle. Its a little hard to recognize because it's fused to another building near by it. You can still recognize the roof line where a pulley once attached.