Jackson's Mill is a former

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 ...

in Lewis County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, near the city of

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

. The mill, listed on 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, is now the centerpiece of a state-owned museum property. It is significant as a well-preserved early grist mill, and as the boyhood home of

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

, a prominent Confederate general in 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 ...

Description and history

The center of the Jackson farm was located on the peninsula formed by the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of Freeman's Creek and the

West Fork River The West Fork River is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, long, in north-central West Virginia, United States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 881 squar ...

. Edward Jackson (1759–1828) built a home on a prominent knoll 100 yards from the West Fork; the two-story frontier-style log structure was 40 feet by 20. On the other (east) side of the river, he built a sawmill and grist mill in 1809. An original millstone and feed hopper can be seen on the second floor. The surviving mill structure is a three-story wood frame structure, with a wooden shingle roof and weatherboard siding. The interior of the mill retains a significant amount of original woodwork and equipment, including large cog wheels. Some elements have been replaced, including the flooring, which has been replaced by oak similar to the original.

History

After Edward's death, his son, Cummins Jackson, operated Jackson's Mill. A brother Jonathan Jackson (1790–1826), had been working as an attorney in Clarksburg, where he had a family. After his death in 1826 from

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

, his widow Julia Neale Jackson (1789–1831) struggled to support their two young children. In 1830, she arranged for the Jackson children, 6-year-old Thomas Jonathan and his younger sister Laura Ann, to live with their paternal uncle Cummins Jackson. Julia died the following year, leaving her children orphaned and dependent on their uncle. Young Thomas helped around his uncle's farm, tending sheep with a sheep dog, driving teams of oxen, and helping to harvest wheat and corn. His uncle also held a few slaves. Formal education was not easily obtained, but Thomas attended school when and where he could. After learning to read, he became largely self-taught. He would often sit up at night reading by the flickering light of burning pine knots. He would become renowned as a Confederate general,

, during the Civil War. The story is told that Thomas Jackson once made a deal with one of his uncle's

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s to provide him with pine knots in exchange for reading lessons. Virginia law prohibited teaching slaves to read or write, but young Jackson taught the man as promised. In his later years at Jackson's Mill, Jackson served as a

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

In 1842, young Thomas Jackson received an appointment to the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy was founded ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. After graduation, he served as an instructor at

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

. During the

, he advanced in the Confederate Army to the rank of general, and died in 1863 in the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

. He had been fatally wounded in a "

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy or hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while ...

" incident. In 1921 the owners of the property at Jackson's Mill deeded it to the State of West Virginia. In modern times, the preserved grist mill of Cummins Jackson is the centerpiece of a historical site and museum at the Jackson's Mill Center for Lifelong Learning and State 4-H Camp. The facility, located in

Weston, West Virginia Weston is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,943 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. History W ...

, serves as a special campus for

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

(WVU) and the WVU Extension Service.

References

* Robertson, James I., Jr., ''Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend'', MacMillan Publishing, 1997, .

External links

WVU Jackson's Mill Center
* {{authority control American Civil War sites in West Virginia Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Industry museums in West Virginia Lewis County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War Mill museums in the United States Museums in Lewis County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Lewis County, West Virginia Open-air museums in West Virginia University museums in West Virginia Watermills in the United States Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in West Virginia

Mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

1837 establishments in Virginia Biographical museums in West Virginia Museums on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia West Fork River

Description and history

History

See also

References

External links