File:Orchard at Peirce Mill (fb3c8bc9-138c-4f75-9b73-e6ec8118f393).jpeg

Blossoms and young leaves form on the branches of young fruit trees in a demonstration orchard. A walkway and mill structures are visible in the background.

The Peirce Mill landscape is defined by its use through three periods of development from 1800 to 1950. In the mid-1800s, the privately-owned milling and agricultural enterprise contained transportation routes, agricultural clusters, and pasture land, and four separate orchards. The largest orchard was located to the northwest of the mill. Currently, remnants of this orchard remain in the form of gnarled stumps buried in vines on the east facing slope. An orchard also grew between the old wagon barn and the large barn to the west. North of the large barn, another smaller orchard grew, and a small orchard was located to the east of the Peirce/Shoemaker house near Rock Creek. After the creation of Rock Creek Park in 1890, Peirce Mill was renovated as a picturesque tea house and picnic grounds. Although a map drawn in 1893 does not illustrate orchards, portions of the Peirce/Shoemaker orchards were most likely still present. With the restoration of the mill and wagon barn/stable in the 1930s, the landscape underwent extensive alteration to function as a living history museum interpreting nineteenth-century milling activities. Further research is needed to determine whether evidence of the Peirce/Shoemaker orchards remains.

*Subject: Cultural Landscape

• Keywords: cultural landscape; Rock Creek Park; Peirce Mill; orchard