History off the Beaten Path: Meandering to a Mill

Virginia's Burwell-Morgan Mill has been restored and is operational. Courtesy of Clarke County Historical Association

From the burgeoning 18th-century through the early 20th century, grain mills were prevalent in some regions of America. During this time, farmers produced wheat and corn for sale or personal consumption. They often built their own mills and charged or bartered with neighbors who needed to use it. Or, they sought out the closest mill at which to mill grains.

Most of those mills are long gone due to the commercialization of bread products and livestock feed. Occasionally, we can see remnants of a mill in forgotten stonework or the rusted spokes and gears of a mill wheel. But sometimes, individuals preserve or resurrect a mill. Some offer tours, exhibiting it as a walk-back-in-time experience for the current generation.

The interior of the Burwell-Morgan mill was where grains were ground into meal and flour for surrounding families, markets, and businesses. Courtesy of the Clarke County Historical Association

Burwell-Morgan Mill

Located off the beaten path in rural Clarke County, Virginia, and about an hour’s drive from Washington, is one of the oldest grist (grain) mills in the country. According to the Clarke County Historical Association, Burwell-Morgan Mill was constructed and managed by its two namesakes: General Daniel Morgan and Col. Nathaniel Burwell, both patriots of the American Revolution. The two men built the water-powered mill in the 1780s. Like many mills in rural areas, it became a community gathering place where residents learned news, socialized, and exchanged and bartered for goods and services.

The small community was named Millwood, demonstrating the mill’s significance to inhabitants there.

Modern-Day Milling Revival

Burwell-Morgan Mill served the surrounding community until the mid-1900s, when it was donated to the Clarke County Historical Association, restored, and reopened as both museum and operating mill. The mill functions much as it has for over two centuries. The natural power of falling water turns wooden gears, huge wooden shafts, and old millstones to make flour from various grains. Currently, the mill schedules times to grind corn, buckwheat, and whole wheat for flour. It also grinds barley that a local brewery uses to make lager.

The gears at the Burwell-Morgan Mill are kept in good condition. Courtesy of Clarke County Historical Association

Visitors to Burwell-Morgan Mill can take a historical tour and learn about the age-old milling process as well as purchase products made from regionally grown grains. The two-story native limestone and wood structure has a gable roof, and it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1969.

The picturesque Burwell-Morgan mill is a breath of fresh air just an hour from Washington. Courtesy of Clarke County Historical Association

Travelers on Interstate 81, a north-south interstate on the East Coast, can jump off around Stephens City in Virginia and follow GPS directions down rural highways for about 15 miles to Burwell-Morgan Mill. It is located on a tributary stream of the Shenandoah River. The picturesque drive there is replete with horse farms and 18th- and 19th-century dry-stack stone fences lining the winding country roads.

The mill is typically open May through November on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the grinding schedule is posted on its website. Picnic tables are available. There, visitors can stay a while and soak in surroundings that have been busy with the sounds of water turning a mill since the time of our country’s founding.

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