Last month I drove through the town of Grottoes which is in the Shenandoah Valley between Elkton and Waynesboro. Unlike many small towns that were settled and grew up haphazardly, Grottoes was carefully planned and laid out in 1890. Factories were to be built between 1st and 3rd Avenue. Between 5th and 6th Avenue space was allotted for public buildings and the rest of the town would be divided into home lots.
This old brick building caught my eye as I drove around town. It was surrounded by a tall chain link fence but there was a house on the grounds inside the fence, and the gate to the driveway was open. A man was out on the carport grilling burgers and I pulled in, introduced myself and asked if I could take some pictures. "Sure," he said, "the door on the far side is unlocked if you want to go inside."
After I was done, we talked for a few minutes. He did not know much about the early days of the factory, but thought it had been some kind of "silk mill." His father had purchased the building and house in the 1950s and leased space to various business over the years. The building is not being used now, and its future is uncertain.
Yes, it was a silk factory. My mother worked there for a short while in about 1940.
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