Pamplin Pipe Factory

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
LocationPamplin, Virginia
Area2.9 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1879 (1879)
NRHP reference No.80004169[1]
VLR No.006-0048
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 25, 1980
Designated VLRJune 1, 2005[2]

History

Passing through several owners, pipes were manufactured at the factory through the peak of clay pipe manufacturing around 1919 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
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  3. Keith Bott (May 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Pamplin Pipe Factory" (PDF). and Accompanying four photos
  4. "Pamplin Pipe Factory, Appomattox County". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  5. "Pamplin Clay Tobacco Pipes". Museum of Anthropology, University of Missouri. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
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