Lonaconing Silk Mill

[justiceischeap]

History:
The Lonaconing Silk Mill, also referred to as the Klotz Throwing Company, is the last intact silk mill in the United States. It is located in Lonaconing, Maryland within the National Lonaconing Historic District and the site was nominated by the George’s Creek Watershed Association for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Herb Crawford, the owner, had sought for years funding to stabilize the mill in a bid to preserve the interior for use as a museum, but a lack of state initiative and funding have nixed any proposals. No comprehensive effort has been made to save the mill, partly due to its remoteness, which ironically has also allowed the property to remain vandalism-free and intact.

Herb gives tours of the place at $80/4 hrs with a group minimum of 5 people. The fees go towards preserving the building. Unfortunately, I don't have his contact info, I went as part of a Meetup group meet. However, if you are near the area and have an opportunity to go, I would urge you to do so. It's a wonderful piece of manufacturing history that we seem to be losing in this nation.











The rest
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justice_is_cheap/sets/72157633386403070/with/8694692265/

[alfredo]

1. You really used available light to good effect.

[justiceischeap]

3. Thanks!

I'm actually getting better at seeing the light, so I'm happy about that. I don't know if you looked through the Flickr set or not but the black & white one's were in the basement and there wasn't really any available light. For example, the Toledo Scale photo had that backlight (which wasn't really even bright enough to meter from) but the scale itself was pretty much in silhouette. So, while using a 20 second exposure, I "painted" the scale face with my flashlight for about 3 seconds. Then I painted the "Toledo" on the scale bed too for about a second.

It was a tough shoot because I've never really done long exposures before but it was a great experience and I learned a few things (like using my flashlight to "paint" light).

[alfredo]

5. The Toledo Scale image really worked because you "painted" the face.

[liberal N proud]

2. I see ghost

When I see pictures of abandoned factories, I envision the people who worked there and how busy it must have been at one time. All the rush and the stress and all the production, now lay silent.

[justiceischeap]

4. That's one of the things I love about shooting abandonments

There are definitely ghosts of the past there--especially if you find a place intact like this one. Too many people want to bulldoze the past without a thought of the history we're losing with it. And people who go in a destroy or spray paint these places just chap my a**.

[Solly Mack]

6. What alfredo said.

Excellent use of light!