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National Expansion & Reform Duff Green

Duff Green

Duff Green (1792-1854)—was born in Culpeper and came to Stafford around 1810 and resided in what is now known as Gordon Green Terrace in Falmouth. Among other activities, he commanded the Falmouth militia company and, during the 1830s, was inspector of flour for the port of Falmouth. He was a director of the Farmers Bank of Fredericksburg and worked on the committee to build the Mary Washington Monument in Fredericksburg. During his years in Falmouth, Duff owned a merchant flour mill, a cotton mill, a wool carding mill, two retail stores, and the Falmouth Hotel. He was also a director of the Baltimore and Rappahannock Steam Packet Company and was an active member of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg. Duff was also involved in coal mining in western Virginia and in canal building in that part of the state. In 1837 he built the Elm Factory near the present Falmouth Bridge. Unlike the other mills in Falmouth that were water-powered, Elm was powered by a steam engine, thus allowing it to be back some distance from the river. Duff also owned a farm called Ridgeway.

Although it stood just north of Falmouth, he never lived there as his primary residence. This is now the site of Stafford High School.