Norman's Mill and Dam - Culpeper County VA
N 38° 27.223 W 077° 54.007
18S E 246929 N 4260142
The ruins of an 19th-century mill are on the banks of Mountain Run.
Waymark Code: WME990
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2012
Views: 7
Thr ruins of Norman's Mill and Dam are located on the banks of Mountain Run in Culpeper County, Virginia. Thomas Norman owned 600 acres of land on both sides of Mountain Run and ran a prosperous milling operation from the late 18th century to the early 19th century. His mill was along the Old Carolina Road that ran from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Raleigh, North Carolina. Norman expanded his mill to include a dam. When the mill burned down in 1857, another 2½-story, wood-frame mill with stone foundation was built at the same location. The Library of Virginia has an old
photo on digital file in the Virginia Historical Inventory Photographs of the Works Progress Administration Collection
Norman's son and grandson continued operating the mill into the 1950s. By the 1960s, it was abandoned and deteriorating. In the 1970s, it, too, burned down.
Today, only portions of the mill's foundation and dam remain. The posted coordinates are to an easily accessible location on the north side of Mountain Run directly across from the old mill where remnants of the dam, the old road trace and a bridge abutment can still be seen. A part of the old mill foundation is visible on the other side.
For the more adventurous, the mill is located at:
- N 38° 27.217' W 077° 54.001'
Please note: This location is not accessible by vehicle. Caution is advised when crossing existing bridge on foot. Terrain may be overgrown and slippery.
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