Stratford Mill - Montross VA
N 38° 09.753 W 076° 49.898
18S E 339536 N 4225435
A water mill has been at Stratford Hall in Virginia since the early 18th century.
Waymark Code: WMGB4Z
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 02/08/2013
Views: 1
Thomas Lee built a mill in the 1740s on his
Stratford Hall
plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The small mill was located at the landing on the Potomac River. A waterwheel turned the wooden gears that ground corn and wheat.
Although little is known about the mill's earliest history, archaeological research has revealed the mill went through numerous changes. Mills and wooden waterwheels were frequently repaired and rebuilt. It is recorded that Elizabeth Stokes, then-owner of Stratford Hall, leased the site to Muse and Jenkins who rebuilt a one-story mill in the 1860s and operated it until the early 19th century. Richard Stuart, owner of Stratford in the late 19th century, resurrected it as a grist and sawmill, but stopped operating it in 1905.
When the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association acquired Stratford Hall in 1929, the structure had fallen into disrepair. The stone walls had collapsed and the wheel had fallen into the mill race. The mill was reconstructed on the old foundation and opened to the public in 1939, but by the 1990s, it was in need of a major overhaul. The latest restoration was completed in 2003.
The mill is available to all visitors to Stratford Hall and is open on the 2nd Saturday of each month, April through October, 12 PM to 3 PM. (Dates and times are subject to change.) Go here
for more information on hours of operation and admission.
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