Historical Timeline
1662
Richard Gwin granted a tract of land along the stream that now bears his name, Gwynn’s Falls, with exclusive rights to trade with the Algonquins.
1719
Peter Bond, Richard Gwin’s son-in-law builds a mill in the vicinity.
1759
John Shly builds a grist mill near present-day Dickeyville
1778

Martin Tschudy, a Swiss mill owner, buys the mill and a stone house from Shly
1808
Oldest houses in village date from this period
c. 1808
Franklin Paper Mill starts production. Village is known as Franklinville
1814
Franklin Woolen Mill built
1830

Wethered family, John, Charles, and George, purchase Franklin Mill. Name of village is changed to Wetheredsville
1843
Ashland Mill (now the Ballymena Mill) built on the site of a paper mill owned by Samuel Tschudy from 1821
1845
John Wethered elected to Congress
1849

Ashland Chapel dedicated
1866
Powhatan Dam breaks and floods the village.
1867
Village again flooded. Wethereds again repair damage to mills and equipment
1868
Covered bridge over Gwynn’s Falls destroyed in Freshet—a flood caused by heavy rains
1872

Wethereds sell mills, 300 acres of land and unspecified number of houses to William J. Dickey for $82,000. Distinctive wooden frame houses built for workers, together with a warehouse and company store, signaling a period of expansion
1885
Wetheredsville Presbyterian Church dedicated. Completed 1889
1896
After the death of William J. Dickey, name of village changed to Dickeyville. Wetheredsville Presbyterian Church renamed Dickey Memorial Presbyterian Church.
1909

Mills leased by Ashland Manufacturing Company of Baltimore. With the Stock Market crash of 1929, village goes into decline and is renamed Hillsdale
1932
Muralist R.McGill Mackall converts Mill Warehouse into a studio and home
1934

Village bought at auction by developers for $42,000; Two weeks after the sale, the Franklin Mill complex is destroyed by fire. Restoration and gentrification begins. Name is changed back to Dickeyville and major streets are renamed.
1938
Dickeyville Community Association founded
c. 1960
Ashland Chapel converted into private residence
1972
Village listed in the National Register of Historic Places
Return to Village History
Return to About Dickeyville