Evening star., 1914-11-22
= tf.z1zzWiTH SC5HE PA1BLER5{ss9

the rough article made in private fac
tories. Powder mills were also erect
ed, the manufacture of wool. max aud
hemp encouraged and the making 90
gun barrels and all the munitions o.
wa: undertaken. But tn" colonial
troops were still very deficient iH
artillery and it was thought that thus
want. TOO. could he supplied at home
4 citizen of the state contracted to
supply the province with cannon
The origin of the Paint branch pow
der mill is to he found in these facts.
1t was started as private patriotic
enterprise to furnish part of the gum
powder with which the independent" 81
the United States was won. This -
what makes this powder mill site and
relies of so much interest to Ameri
about II.
As far back as the Rambler could
reach into the dim mist of history the
Paint branch powder mill was operated
by two men whose names were BuzZard
and Cobb. Nothing is now known Of
them in the neighhorhood of tn. mill
but Cobb was buried there aud has
homes lie under the roots OF big otll
tree hundred yards or so from the
mill. His Sravestone WAS there half "a
century ago. but it i not there nov
and the rambler found no on" " ho
could recall the inscription on ii. After
the powder making enterprise was un-
der WAY a part of the plant. or AN adj
dltion to II. WAS used as \ wooden mill.
and cloth and blankets as well as = un-
powder wore produced. The wool was
brought from that part of rrinC-
Georges county then and to som.. eA-
he
Some time before the war of 1872 the
powder and Woolen mills ,vcr, bought
ny owen Carroll. vino sleeps an the lit
tie churchyard nj Forest Glen He. ran
the plant for "A good many years His
son took up the ork. and his son fol
lowed the business. Early In th,, civil
war the nowdor mill blew uI and a m.ii,
was Killed there. rh" manufacture" Of
wooden cloth in that neiEhborhood de-
clined and the mill wheels stopped Th,
building settled iIto ruin About
twenty years ago Mrs. Mary E. Cal
lant, mother Of Kenny and Peter Gal
liant. gave = quantity of the rock out
or the ruins for the causeways of the
FAINT Branch bridge. which crosses th,.
stream Very near the mill site Part
or the walls Were standing hut they
hau come 10 be danger and were
pulled down. Then il became tn. GUS
tom for anybody needing stone for
foundation walls for :, new hous. or
Tor cellar walls. or for many other pur-
poses to come over to the mill ruins and
haul the rock away The result is tbYt
very little - LEFT. The Gallant "ho, : 80
who live on the hill above the mill sitr
are direct descendants of owen Carroll
who bought the mill during the second
war with England.
Now. as to the origin of the name
Paint branch" On the Bewley prop
he
branch and Big Paint branch. about
two and a half miles below the mill
site, are conspicuous deposits of red
clay and there is also some blue clay.
II has been used as paint. or as the
coloring matter of paint. from i'm
memorial times, and in recent years a
large tonnage of this clay has be.i,
shipped away to various paint ma kin;
factories. The Rambler was told that
shipments were made up to about ten
years ago and that very recently a
man in Branchville painted his barn
with this clay after liquefyine it
that is. the clay.
After short stop at the mill place
the Rambler shouidered his burden
ana asked Benny Gallant how far il
was to Burnt Mills. About five
miles" said Benny. That point would
be about three and a half miles from
the car line at Sligo. But the Rambler
felt sure of supper at Pleasant View.
four miles away. and felt also that he
had chance for lift" from there
to the cars. SO. Hermes' sandals not
having arrived, he hummed Onward.
Christian Soldiers" IT'S Long
Way TO Tipperary" and other tunes
that make the feet go, and while the
chill gray mists Of evening were float
ing up from the valley of Paint
branch he laid down his camera.
plate case. tripod and gum coat at the
door of Pleasant View.