Cameron Mills (Site)

These coordinates mark the exact spot where the two mills used to be. No remains are visible here.


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Here is information from a historical marker located nearby:

The area west of the Mill Race complex once was a sloping meadow through which ran the meandering tail race of the Cameron Mills. The mill site itself was located beneath what is now the parking garage of the Hoffman Center complex. Built in the 1790s, the twin mills at Cameron produced flour, meal, and feed both for local consumption and for export. From the mid-19th century until 1919, the firm of Roberts and Hunt operated the mills, farmed the surrounding property, and maintained a feed and grain store on Alexandria's waterfront. The western mill building was destroyed by fire in 1928.

In 1851, the newly founded Alexandria Water Company converted the eastern mill into a pumping station, installing a new iron wheel and a pump inside the building. The pump drew water from the 60-year-old millrace and pumped it into a reservoir at the top of nearby Shuter's Hill. From there, it was distributed through a gravity-fed system to households and businesses throughout Alexandria. The Cameron Pumping Station continued to supply water to the city through the mid-20th century.