Thursday, January 19, 2012

Oliver Evans Marker

I was driving through Newport the other day and noticed this marker as I drove by. I had to turn around, go back and read it. It appears to have recently installed. There was a post early on pertaining to Oliver Evans and how there wasn't a marker to commerate his achievements in the Lower Red Clay Valley. Even though he was born in Newport, mills along the Red Clay Creek utilized his invention to automated the flour milling industry. I will also include/update this so it appears in the post of Historical Markers in The Lower Red Clay Valley.


He is buried in
Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum
Also known as: Trinity Cemetery, Trinity Cemetery Uptown
in Manhattan

6 comments:

Scott P said...

Great catch! I hadn't heard about, but you've got to be right about it being fairly new. Where is it? Is it just in a public area, or is it supposed to be near where their house was?

Denis said...

If you go east through Newport on Maryland Avenue, it is where the bend is in the road. There is a cannon there. The marker is front of the cannon. I dont recall the name of the building it all sits in front of. If you go straight and not take the bend there is a place to park. The state has in effect all new markers need to be where you can pull over and get out of your car to read them.
I just happen to be riding by and it caught my eye. So I had to turn around. Of course I didnt have my camera so I used my phone to take the picture.

Scott P said...

For what it's worth, I was reading something recently that said the house Evans was born in was located at N. James and Christian Streets. That would have put it about where the exit ramp from 141 South merges with N. James near the M&T (formerly Wilmington Trust) bank is. The house, I guess, is long gone.

Denis said...

That is interesting Scott. For some reason I thought he lived down towards the river more. I was was also just reading the Tanall House, located inside the plant in Newport, is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "Oliver Evans House".

Scott P said...

That's actually where I read about the "real" Evans house. The Tatnall House's NRHP form mentions that "in recent years the building has come to be called the Oliver Evans House", but that it's not correct. Specifically, it says Evans was born in a house on the southeast corner of Christian and James. That would have put it right about where the little loop is in the bank parking lot. I had never even realized that the Tatnall House was there, tucked away in the middle of the plant property.

Denis said...

I contemplated asking at the guard gate if I could go in and walk around the Tatnall House to take a few pictures but decided to leave it for another adventure. I am assuming it is the same Joseph Tatnall who owned the house and mill at the foot of Mill Road in Stanton.