Cement Mill Ruins - Near Sheperdstown, WV
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 39° 25.714 W 077° 46.861
18S E 260627 N 4368028
Ruins of an old cement mill are found on either side of this windy country road.
Waymark Code: WMN29K
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2014
Views: 1
Near Shepherdstown, along Cement Mill Road, are ruins on either side that are for a cement mill.
The ruins are located east of the community of Sheperdstown, along the Potomac River, which is north of the road and ruins and can be glimpsed through the trees. The road is narrow, so parking is an issue along this stretch of the road. There is barely enough room to park along the road.
The most prominent ruins along the road is the one on the south side. It is the shell of what appears to have been a three story brick structure. There is no roof on this structure. There is temporary fencing around the building.
Another feature, in further disrepair, is situated a little further west on the north side of the road. It is also surrounded by fence. There is also a sign about the Battle of Sheperdstown at this location, as well.
A good source with photos is the Library of Congress as part of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). Unfortunately, I couldn't find any historical text for this site, but there are some nice black and white images there.
This property was purchased in 2011 by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission. An article found focuses on the importance of the land as being part of the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, during the Civil War, so I am pretty sure it was bought for that purpose more than the ruins. According to another source, other land has since been purchased adjacent to the original property. They intend to give the properties to part of a national park. It appears that the ruins are at least being stabilized.
Source:
Library of Congress:
(
visit link)
Sheperdstown Chronicle:
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visit link)