Friday, June 17, 2011

Inside the former woolen mills - Grottoes, Virginia 


After 1890 Grottoes (see yesterday's post) experienced rapid growth and by the end of 1891 boasted two brick factories, a woolen mills (which I suspect is the building in these photographs), a tile factory, a plaster factory and a blind and sash factory. An electric plant was built and streetcar lines were being laid.

In 1893, the Grottoes Company, which had promoted and built the town, experienced financial difficulty and Grottoes fell on hard times. Today the commercial core of Grottoes is gone, but it is an attractive and well-kept town.

The inside of the factory building which I photographed was empty except for a few odds and ends and an old car. There were no lights in the building, but the large windows provided adequate light to take some pictures, and a hint of how the inside of a building felt when windows were the primary source of light and ventilation.


Thanks to the Town of Grottoes website for the information in this article. A more complete history of the town is available here.

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