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1070 U.S. Route 4 (Broad Street)

Schuylerville, NY

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Inscription

Site of first flax and linen mill in America

Built 1810

Erected

By NY State — 1927

What was there

The fibers from flax plants are used to make the woven fabric called linen. Linen is one of the oldest and most expensive fabrics in the world and its threads are water resistant. The mill at this location handled the process of converting flax plants into fine linen cloth. The flax fibers first needed to be spun into yarn before it was woven into cloth.

Records seem to indicate that there was a flax mill here even earlier than the marker states. (1767 – built by Peter Schuyler)

What is there now

The marker is in a slightly overgrown area of a small memorial park along Route 4. Looking down into Fish Creek from the Route 4 bridge, one can see remnants of a stone structure, and a metal pipeline covered in graffiti. It is not known if these remnants are that of this mill.

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We would like to thank the following for helping us with this entry:

Kelly Lucero