Everyone has bucket list locations - those incredible places that you go your whole life wanting to be able to shoot. For me, the Klotz Throwing Company, more popularly known as simply Lonaconing Silk Mill in Maryland's western spur was one of them. When I first decided to embark upon my - at the time - one and only trip over there, this location was wayyy high up there on my 'to do' list. So I set aside a couple of days to stay with a contact I had made in Baltimore and suggested we head across the state to the small town of Lonaconing. The only way to do this mill is with permission, which we knew beforehand, and I had the phone number to call so all was good. For a certain amount of money you are allowed a few hours inside, and the money raised goes directly to helping the owner shore up the building and provide desperately needed roofing repairs.
The silk mill in Lonaconing was opened in 1907 and operated as both Klotz and General Textile Mills companies through it's short life. Workers went on strike in June 1957 after being refused a pay rise, and the company chose to close the mill in June 1957. By the beginning of July, with only five employees left on the payroll, it closed for good. The current owner, Herb, bought the mill with the intention of reopening it in 1978 but nothing came of it and still it sits unused as it has done for the past sixty years. It's one of the last fully intact silk mills in the entire United States, with all machinery present and literally everything else left as it was after closure. It's the single most incredible time capsule location I have ever seen, and one of my favourite locations in the whole world.
The lighting inside wasn't too favourable and I was way too distracted by everything to focus on taking properly decent photos but there we go.
Thanks for looking
The silk mill in Lonaconing was opened in 1907 and operated as both Klotz and General Textile Mills companies through it's short life. Workers went on strike in June 1957 after being refused a pay rise, and the company chose to close the mill in June 1957. By the beginning of July, with only five employees left on the payroll, it closed for good. The current owner, Herb, bought the mill with the intention of reopening it in 1978 but nothing came of it and still it sits unused as it has done for the past sixty years. It's one of the last fully intact silk mills in the entire United States, with all machinery present and literally everything else left as it was after closure. It's the single most incredible time capsule location I have ever seen, and one of my favourite locations in the whole world.
The lighting inside wasn't too favourable and I was way too distracted by everything to focus on taking properly decent photos but there we go.
Thanks for looking
