Documentary

Lonaconing Silk Mill

Lonaconing, Maryland | Five-year photographic study

Stepping into the Lonaconing Silk Mill in western Maryland is akin to traveling back in time. In a way that is both wonderfully nostalgic and somewhat haunting, I have been struck by how well-preserved are the functional elements of the mill. The mill produced silk for fifty years, but was shuttered suddenly in 1957. From the throwing machinery and bobbins to paper tags and personal items, the systems remain very much as they were sixty years ago, perhaps due to a combination of simple, sturdy construction, sudden abandonment, and no subsequent intervention.

The purpose of my portfolio is to show a moment in time frozen.

This fifteen-image documentary portfolio was the culmination of a five-year photographic study of the mill. It was presented for assessment at the Royal Photographic Society on June 9, 2021, where I was awarded Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS).