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Darby's Mill, near Lock 44, by Williamsport, MD. Shown are left to right, "Pots" Corby (sitting), George Lake, Eugene Ardinger, "Wash" Taylor, F.H. Darby (in doorway), Ruby Darby, Harry Price, John Ream and unidentified (Rubin, 2005)
F. H. Darby was listed in the 1877 Illustrated Atlas of Washington County as a grain merchant, and his company as:
Williamsport Business References
Grain, Coal, &c.
* Darby & Rice, Forwarding Agents and Dealers in Flour, Grain, and Feed. Grain taken in exchange for Coal, Plaster, and Fertilizer. Embrey & Cushwa's Wharf.
See Williamsport, 1877
Mile 99.5
Due to the new availability of a constant water source and proximate transportation, milling operations grew up along the canal. Flour, grain, plaster, lumber, stone, and cement were some of the products that the mills turned out. The canal served as a source of power for the machinery as well as a source of relatively easy transportation of the finished products to the markets. The mills would pay the C&O Canal for water rights and pay the boat men for the transportation of the goods.
This mill burned in 1904.