Hoffman Watermark
Baltimore County, Baltimore County, Maryland
Marker Inscription
Hoffman Watermark. Hoffman Gunpowder Burying Ground circa 1778-1890. William Hoffman, born 1740 in Germany, arrived in Philadelphia in 1768. He married Susanna Weinbach in 1771. They moved here to Maryland in 1775 and built clipper paper mill. William was the first paper maker in the state of Maryland. In 1781 he built the gunpowder paper mill. The village that formed nearby was called Paper Mills, later renamed Hoffmanville. William provided a school and church for his employees, as well as this burial place. Susanna died 1803 and William 1811. Their children were: William, Christian, Henry, Jacob, Peter, Gottlieb and Susanna.
Erected by Hoffman Watermark
The Story
William Hoffman, a German immigrant who reached Philadelphia in 1768, settled in Maryland in 1775 and became the state's first papermaker, building a clipper paper mill and, in 1781, a gunpowder paper mill. The mills gave rise to a village first called Paper Mills and later Hoffmanville, where Hoffman provided a school, a church, and this family burial ground for his workers. The Hoffman family cemetery preserves the memory of an early American industrialist and the milling community he founded.
Why it matters
Hoffman's mills mark the beginnings of papermaking in Maryland and illustrate how immigrant artisans seeded the young republic's early industry and company villages.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Hanover Fire Museum13.0 mi away
- Neas House13.5 mi away · 103 West Chestnut Street, Hanover, PA
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Related people
- · William Hoffman
- · Susanna Weinbach Hoffman
Themes & tags
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