Whitaker Mill Cedar Grove
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
In 1813 Henry Whitaker built a waterwheel textile mill and town here. William Whitaker & Sons, Inc. continued operations for 157 years in original buildings. Canvas & wool blankets were produced for the Civil War. First mill in the U.S. to produce bed ticking. Chenille manufacturing processes were patented. Owners ceased production in 1970. The mill was destroyed by arson & demolished in 1975. Several original buildings remain nearby.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When Henry Whitaker raised a waterwheel-powered textile mill on this spot in 1813, he was joining the young republic's first great industrial wave, when running water was the engine of American manufacturing. Whitaker's mill proved remarkably long-lived, operating for 157 years and turning out canvas and wool blankets for Union soldiers during the Civil War, the nation's first mill-made bed ticking, and patented chenille processes. Production ended in 1970, and arson claimed the buildings in 1975, though several originals still stand nearby.
Why it matters
The mill traces the whole arc of American textile industry, from an early-republic waterwheel operation to a Civil War supplier and patent-holding innovator across more than a century and a half.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- National Constitution Center5.7 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House5.7 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery5.8 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Muse Gallery5.8 mi away · 52 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Larry Becker Contemporary Art5.8 mi away · 43 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- African American Museum in Philadelphia5.8 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle3.6 mi away
- Philly Gun Range5.3 mi away · North Percy Street
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir5.5 mi away
- Elfreth's Alley5.7 mi away
- U.S. Mint at Philadelphia Tour5.8 mi away
- Benjamin Franklin Grave5.8 mi away
Food & drink
- Independence Mall Cafe5.9 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- 3J's Cafe5.9 mi away · 317 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Bubble Tea Room5.9 mi away · 319 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- PrimoHoagies5.9 mi away · 304 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fork5.9 mi away · 306 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Menagerie Coffee5.9 mi away · 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia E - Penns Landing5.7 mi away · 100 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia5.8 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center5.8 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District5.8 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia5.8 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- The Philadelphia House5.8 mi away · 17 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Henry Whitaker
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Cheltenham Township, PA · est. 1992
Consecrated in 1861, St. Paul's is the oldest church building in Cheltenham Township, founded by Jay Cooke, the banker whose bond-selling campaigns earned him the nickname "financier of the Civil War." Its cemetery, laid out in 1879 and enlarged in 1905, holds Cooke's mausoleum among the graves of prominent residents. The original design by Sidney & Merry was later expanded by the celebrated Gilded Age architect Horace Trumbauer.
Wyoming Branch of the Free Library
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2005
On October 30, 1930, the Wyoming Avenue Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia opened its doors as the very last of the public libraries funded by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Over his lifetime the Pittsburgh industrialist endowed more than 2,500 libraries across the globe, convinced that free access to books was the surest ladder out of poverty—a philosophy he had lived himself as a self-taught immigrant boy.
Thomas Rowland & Sons Shovel Works
Cheltenham Township, PA · est. 2006
In 1795 Benjamin Rowland, Jr. founded a mill complex near here that turned out high-quality shovels and spades for a young nation. Run by the Rowland family until 1901, the works earned an international reputation and helped prove that American-made goods could compete with the finest from abroad. The surviving Rowland house is among the last 18th-century structures tied to early American hardware production.
Village of La Mott
Cheltenham Township, PA · est. 1973
Laid out at the close of the Civil War, the village originally called Camptown rose on the grounds of Camp William Penn. From 1863 to 1865 the camp trained African American soldiers—among the largest such training stations in the North—preparing thousands of United States Colored Troops for service in the Union Army. The community that grew here carried forward the legacy of those who fought for freedom and their own citizenship.