| Pamplin Pipe Factory | |
| Designated Other1: | Virginia Landmarks Register |
| Designated Other1 Date: | June 1, 2005[1] |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 277-0002 |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
| Added: | November 25, 1980 |
| Refnum: | 80004169 |
Pamplin Pipe Factory, also known as Merrill and Ford, The Akron Smoking Pipe Factory, and The Pamplin Smoking Pipe and Manufacturing Company, is a historic factory and archaeological site located at Pamplin, Appomattox County, Virginia. Located on the property are a wood-framed factory building, a deteriorating brick kiln, and a collapsed brick chimney. It began operation about 1879 and was at one time the largest clay pipe manufacturer in the United States.[2]
Under several owners, the factory manufactured pipes through the peak of clay pipe manufacturing, around 1919, and until the business was sold at public auction in 1938. The post-1938 owners changed the focus of the company to novelty and souvenir pipes and retail sale of local home industry handmade pipes, but were unable to make a profit. The company was dissolved in 1952.[2]
Clay pipes made at the Pamplin factory have been found in archaeological sites throughout the United States.[2] Clay making tools from the site, and pipes, have been preserved at several locations.[3] [4]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.