Places near me Random place
All United States Virginia Aldie Aldie Mill Historic Park
AO Edited

Aldie Mill Historic Park

The Aldie Gristmill was once the largest factory of its kind in Loudoun County.

Aldie, Virginia

Added By
Ian Hall
Aldie Gristmill   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
The grinding stones and the historical crane used to move them for maintenance.   ickaimp (Atlas Obscura User)
How the mill worked   ickaimp (Atlas Obscura User)
Tandem waterwheel.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Lower level of the mill race.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Exhibit dedicated to former miller James Edwards.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Docent demonstrating how the mill works.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Aldie Gristmill.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Brick granary.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Big wheel keeps on turning.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Corn and fresh ground cornmeal from the mill.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
The remains of the hopper on the upper floor that fed the corn down to the stones   ickaimp (Atlas Obscura User)
The mill store.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Inner workings of the mill.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Portraits in the miller's chamber.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Reservoir above the waterwheel.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Sign with information on the Battle of Aldie.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Waterwheel.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Aldie Mill plaque.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Additional portraiture in the miller's chamber.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Lineage of the millers.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Sign about Aldie Mill.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Aldie Mill Historic Park sign.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Internal gears.   blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Rich in local history, the Aldie Mill Historic Park offers patrons a chance to step into the early 1800s and experience a taste of industrial life and culture from days of yore.

Constructed between 1807-1809, the Gristmill boasts fully functional tandem metal waterwheels and docents demonstrate how grains were (and still are) ground into meal.

In addition to impressive mill demonstrations, visitors can enter the miller's chamber where former president and local legend James Monroe once marked time while having his grain ground while visiting from his nearby estate.

A brick granary that was constructed between 1809-1816 can also be found on the property and the storehouse still vends products from the mill.

The mill was initially operated by Charles Fenton Mercer, who sold it to Captain John Mercer in 1835, after which, six generations of his descendants ran the mill continuously until it closed in 1971. The mill was restored in October 2010, including the twin overshot wheels, and is once again a fully functional Gristmill. Nowadays, visitors can find the mill fully operational, often grinding grain on weekends in the summertime. 

Related Tags

Mills History & Culture Industrial

Know Before You Go

There is a small parking lot in front of the mill. The tour is quick and well worth the time.

Community Contributors

Added By

blimpcaptain

Edited By

Harpnort, ickaimp

Published

June 15, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Related Places

  • The Tomioka Silk Mill.

    Tomioka, Japan

    Tomioka Silk Mill

    The World Heritage-designated site of Japan’s industrial revolution, once mistaken as a den of vampires.

  •

    Östra Torp, Sweden

    Kalkugnarna

    Preserved 19th-century lime kilns sit in southern Sweden.

  • The Curtis Mill Park Plaza. Bricks from the mill's smokestack were used in the plaza's construction.

    Newark, Delaware

    Curtis Mill Park

    This wildflower meadow was once the site of America's oldest operating paper mill and a symbol of Newark's manufacturing past.

  • Cloud's Mill Race historical marker

    Alexandria, Virginia

    Cloud's Mill Race

    This millstone-topped marker details the history of a mill that served as a landmark for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War.

  • The smelter chimney with the portal running into the trench below.

    Hiko, Nevada

    Crescent Mill

    A remarkably well-preserved brick chimney from a smelter dating to the 1860s is all that remains of this former mill.

  • Giant Wool Wagon

    Kojonup, Australia

    Giant Wool Wagon

    This large replica wagon tells the story of the booming wool industry in this small Australian town.

  • Souther Tide Mill with Neponset River view

    Quincy, Massachusetts

    Souther Tide Mill

    This mill played a key role in the region’s development and it is just one of ten along the east coast of the United States.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member