Beverley Mill, also known as Chapman's Mill or the Chapman-Beverley Mill, is a historic

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

located north of

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the East Coast of the United States, eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with Interstate 81 in Virginia, I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its w ...

and

Virginia State Route 55 State Route 55 (SR 55) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as John Marshall Highway, the state highway runs from the West Virginia state line, where the highway continues as West Virginia Rou ...

Thoroughfare Gap ''Thoroughfare Gap'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stephen Stills, released in 1978. It was a critical and commercial disappointment that only charted at number 84 in the US. This album is now available as a three-album ...

near

Broad Run, Virginia Broad Run is a small unincorporated village in Fauquier County, Virginia. It is on Bust Head Road just north of Interstate 66 and State Route 55 near the Prince William County line. ''Broad Run'' is named after the waterway that flows through ...

, straddling the county line between

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

and Fauquier Counties. It was built about 1759, and is a five-story, four bay by three bay, rubble stone structure. The water power was provided by Broad Run which, in its passage through the Gap, drops . Exterior mill machinery included a metal waterwheel and sluice gate as well as a stone

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a m ...

. The mill continued in operation through World War II. an
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/ref> It is included in the

Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield is a historic American Civil War battlefield located at Thoroughfare Gap, Broad Run, Prince William County, Virginia. It was the site of the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap. The property includes a number of resources pre ...

and is currently the tallest stacked stone structure in the United States. The mill was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972. On October 22, 1998, a fire resulting from vandalism gutted the mill, which is awaiting restoration.

History

The mill was originally built in 1742 by Jonathan and Nathaniel Chapman and later enlarged in 1758. When originally built it was fully contained within Prince William County, but was used as a landmark when creating Fauquier County. Now, the mill is within both counties. Chapman family records show that 45 individuals were enslaved on the farm adjoining the mill. A fire in 1858 damaged the mill, but it was rebuilt using slave labor and adding an additional two stories. John Chapman, the owner desired to increase the capacity of the mill due to the recent installation of the nearby

Manassas Gap Railroad The Manassas Gap Railroad (MGRR) ran from Mount Jackson, Virginia, to the Orange and Alexandria Railroad's Manassas Junction, which later became the city of Manassas, Virginia. Chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1850, the MGRR was a n ...

. The mill played a crucial role during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. By 1861, the mill had become a meat curing and distribution center operated by the Confederates. The Confederates later burned the mill to prevent the Union from obtaining resources left in the mill. In 1862, the

Battle of Thoroughfare Gap The Battle of Thoroughfare Gap, also known as Chapman's Mill, took place on August 28, 1862, in Fauquier County and Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate forces under ...

took place in and around the mill. Following John Chapman's death, the property was privately sold Robert Beverley. The Beverley family restored the mill after the war by 1876. The mill was sold several times throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with Charles Furr Jr. purchasing the mill in 1903. Through the early 1940s, the mill annually produced approximately 100,000 bushels of grain and employed six individuals. Following renovations, the Furr family sold the mill to

Walter Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler, Chrysler Corporation. Childhood Chrysler ...

in 1945 who soon closed and sold the mill in 1951 due in inability to comply with FDA regulations. The mill initially became at risk in the 1960s when the

Virginia Department of Transportation The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the U.S. state, state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Buildin ...

was constructing Interstate 66 through the Thoroughfare Gap; however, efforts by private citizens helped reroute I-66 around the mill. The mill was then sold in 1973 to Bull Run Preserve, Inc, with the intention of restoring the property, but restoration efforts had ceased by 1981 and the mill was boarded to prevent vandalism.The mill was heavily damaged by

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

in 1998, resulting in the roof, internal mechanics, and flooring being destroyed. The mill is currently owned by the Turn the Mill Around Campaign, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation with the goal of restoring and reopening the mill for public access.

References

External links

Chapman/Beverly Mill Historic Site at Thoroughfare Gap: Turn The Mill Around CampaignBeverley's Mill, State Route 55, Haymarket, Prince William County, VA
1 photo at

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Industrial buildings completed in 1759 Buildings and structures in Prince William County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Prince William County, Virginia Buildings and structures in Fauquier County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Fauquier County, Virginia Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia {{PrinceWilliamCountyVA-NRHP-stub

History

See also

References

External links