Aldie Mill Historic District
Coordinates: 38 ° 58 ′ 30 ″ N , 77 ° 38 ′ 31 ″ W.
The Aldie Mill is a watermill in Aldie , Loudoun County , Virginia , built on the Little River after 1804 to grind grain. Most of the original machinery has been preserved, making the mill one of the best-preserved watermills in Virginia.
history
Charles F. Mercer , a lawyer, United States House Representative for Virginia, and ex-officer obtained the right to build a dam and a watermill on the Little River in 1804. On the other side of the Little River Turnpike , he built a house for himself and named the complex Aldie Manor , after Aldie Castle in Scotland, which belonged to Mercer's putative ancestors. The village that eventually formed around the mill was named Aldie in 1810. Mercer's father, James Mercer, had operated a tub mill on the site from around 1764 . The new mill was built between 1807 and 1809 by William Cooke, who had an Indenture with Mercer . Cooke built the mill, the miller's house with shop and - no longer existing facilities - distillery, forge, sawmill, cooperage and wheelwright and was half involved in the mill operation. The mill's original machinery was patented and built by Oliver Evans. Some of the machinery, as well as the original water wheels, were replaced at the beginning of the 20th century. Mercer bought Cooke's stake in 1816 for $ 11,250. Mercer sold the mill to John Moore in 1835, whose descendants ran the mill for six generations until 1971.
description
The mill has two overshot mill wheels , arranged one behind the other , with which the machinery in the brick- built mill building is driven. The main wing of the mill is two stories high, in the area of the gable there are two storage floors. The east wing has one floor and the west wing has two floors. The village of Aldie eventually grew around the mill.
In addition to the mill, the Historic District includes two other houses, the Mercers house and the Müller house. Mercer's house was built in the style of the Federal Style and is slightly higher than the mill. It's two-story and has been changed over time. The facade is provided with stucco work . The miller's house is brick, two-story, and is located behind the mill between the Little River and the mill moat. The building was extended at the rear. Other buildings within the Aldie Mill Historic District include a granary dating from 1809 to 1816 and a smaller mill used to make plaster .
park
Located on both sides of US Highway 50 east of Virginia State Route 612 and west of Virginia State Route 732, the complex is part of the Aldie Mill Historic Park , which is maintained by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and open to the public. The metal mill wheels have been restored and power the mill's machinery. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 15, 1970 .
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission: National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Aldie Mill Historic District ( English , PDF; 1.3 MB) National Park Service. March 4, 1970. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ↑ a b The Mercers ( English ) In: Aldie Mill Historic Park . Northern Virginia Regional Parks Administration. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ↑ The Machinery of Oliver Evans ( English ) In: Aldie Mill Historic Park . Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ↑ Early Management of Mill Operations ( English ) In: Aldie Mill Historic Park . Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ↑ a b History ( English ) In: Aldie Mill Historic Park . Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ Aldie Mill Historic Park ( English ) Notrhern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved July 9, 2010.
Web links
- Aldie Mill Historic Park
- Aldie Mill Historic District at the Journey Through Hallowed Ground