In 1764 an early Virginia settler, James Mercer, built a small mill along the Little River. His son Charles Mercer partnered with William Cooke in 1809 to build a really large mill with two water wheels and five millstones. The mill ground wheat and corn. A smaller mill ground feed for cattle and horses. Several roads made it easy for farmers to bring their grain to the mills and Little River Turnpike (Route 50 today) ran straight to the seaport of Alexandria where the milled grain was shipped to Europe.
The mills were sold in 1835 to John Moore. Six generations of the Moore family operated the mills until 1971. James Moore Douglass, the last miller, donated the property to Virginia. The mill is still operational and is opened to tour on the weekends when corn is ground and guides explain how it all works.
Signs on the grounds cover the history and working of the mills which helps if you visit (as we did) when the buildings are not opened. There are also a couple of signs about a Civil War skirmish between General J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederate forces and Brig. Gen. Alfred Pleasanton’s Union troops which occurred as Lee’s Confederate divisions marched to Gettysburg.
The site is not accessible. The ground is either rough gravel or lumpy grass. The large mill has steps. The smaller mill is not opened to tour. The third building which I believe was a store and may now be an interpretive center has steps.
The parking lot is not very big and has only one entrance/exit. Large RVs should be parked a little west in the antique store parking area.
Mill 38.97538, -77.64106
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