>The Dickeyville Historic District [†] is a remarkably preserved nineteenth-century mill village that retains its original character and layout. Originally developed as an industrial community, Dickeyville includes residential homes, mill structures, and public buildings that reflect over a century of economic and architectural evolution.
The area was first recorded in 1672, when Richard Gwynn received exclusive trading rights with local Indigenous groups. In 1719, Peter Bond, Gwynn’s son-in-law, built a mill on the Gwynns Falls. Around 1762, Wimber Tschudi, a Swiss gristmill owner, built a small stone house nearby. The foundations of this house and the Tschudi family burial plot are still located on what was then known as Tschudi’s Mill Road, now Wetheredsville Road. By 1790, a row of six homes had been constructed for mill workers at what is now 2500 Pickwick Road.
The Franklin Paper Mill was established in 1811 near the present Forest Park Avenue bridge. During the War of 1812, wounded officers from the Battle of North Point and the siege of Fort McHenry were brought to the village to recover, and later in the century, some officer quarters from Fort McHenry were relocated to the area.
In 1829, the Wethered family acquired the Franklin Mill and converted it to textile production, renaming the business Ashland Mills and the village Wetheredsville. The community entered a period of prosperity with the construction of additional mill housing, a superintendent's residence, a mansion for the Wethered family, and public buildings such as the Ashland Chapel and the 1853 I.O.O.F. Hall.
Despite early success, the village suffered several disasters. The Ashland plant burned down in 1854, the Powhatan Dam failed in 1857 causing major flood damage, and another flood in 1868 destroyed homes and part of the school. During the Civil War, the Quaker Wethereds were penalized for supplying cloth to both Union and Confederate forces; in 1863 the mills were seized by the Union army.
Following legal proceedings, the entire village was sold at auction in 1871 to William J. Dickey and renamed Dickeyville. The Dickey Company expanded mill housing, converted the mills to steam power in 1881, and introduced cotton manufacturing. The Dickey family financed the construction of the Dickey Memorial Presbyterian Church in 1885, and community infrastructure expanded to include a jail, a dispensary, and a social hall.
In 1909, the Dickeys sold the mill to the Glasgow Mill Company. The new owners failed to modernize, and as they began breaking up the property into small lots, the village fell into decline. In the early 1930s, revitalization began when an artist converted a former mill warehouse into a studio. This sparked renewed interest in preserving the community’s historic fabric. In 1969, the City of Baltimore designated Dickeyville an official Historic District, and in 1972 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Architecturally, Dickeyville reflects multiple periods. Early buildings were constructed with stone and cement, showing a transition from asymmetrical to more balanced designs. Later, during the Victorian period, frame and stone buildings were added, many trimmed with brick. Notable buildings include the structures at 2423 and 2435 Pickwick Road, the old school at 5002 Wetheredsville Road, and Mechanics’ Hall at 5101 Wetheredsville Road.
The Dickeyville Historic District is defined by a few core streets: Pickwick Road, Wetheredsville Road, and West Forest Park Avenue. These streets, running east and west of Forest Park Avenue and north and south of Gwynns Falls, form the heart of the historic neighborhood. Together with the still-present millstream, dam, and pond, they contribute to the preserved rural character of the village.
Today, Dickeyville stands as a rare example of a complete nineteenth-century mill town not only preserved in physical form but also incorporated within a major American city.
‡ Romaine S. Somerville, Exec. Secretary and Catherine F. Black, Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, Dickeyville Historic District, City of Baltimore, MD, nomination document, 1972, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Cottontail Lane • Forest Park Avenue West • Pickwick Road • Purnell Drive • Sekots Road • Tucker Lane • Weaver Lane • Wetheredsville Road