The Burwell-Morgan Mill, established in 1785, is the oldest operable merchant mill in the Shenandoah Valley. In the mid-nineteenth century the mill operated twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, processing more than sixty thousand bushels of wheat per year. The community of Millwood grew around this commercial center as related businesses were established, and by way of the seaports at Alexandria and Baltimore, mill products were shipped abroad.

Lt. Col. Nathaniel Burwell of Carter’s Grove built the mill to process and export wheat and corn from his own rich farmlands and those of his neighbors. He hired Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan, the Revolutionary War hero, to oversee the construction and management of the mill. In 1785 the mill became operational, and under Morgan’s direction it flourished. It escaped the destruction that claimed many other mills in the Valley during the Civil War, and remained active through World War II.  On the right is a circa 1900 photo of the mill.

The Clarke County Historical Association acquired the abandoned and dilapidated remnants of the mill in 1964. For seven years members worked tirelessly to restore the mill to its original condition, drawing solely on private donations and the proceeds from local fund-raising events. The mill is included in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1972 the renovated facility opened as a mill-museum, and it has since hosted thousands of visitors—among them school children, Smithsonian tours, historians, architects and mill enthusiasts.

Visitors marvel as the water rushes through the mill, turning the unusual interior waterwheel, just as it did in the eighteenth century. The wheel generates power to the massive wooden gears that rotate the two-ton French buhr wheels which, controlled by the miller, grind the corn into meal. Volunteers bag the meal as it floats down the wooden chute, and it is sold in the museum shop.

In 1994 a major restoration of the aging wooden gears and waterwheel was begun under the direction of renowned restoration millwright Derek Ogden; the project was completed, and the mill will be grinding for the public on Saturdays. An award-winning video that shows the mill in full operation is shown frequently.




 

Visiting the Mill

The Mill is open April through October, Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday noon until 5 p.m. The mill is open every day during the Art Show. There is an admission fee.

Restoration of the Mill is now complete.  Saturdays and most major holidays are Grinding Days. (Call to check on holidays.) Our lovely Mill meadow is also available for rental for weddings, family reunions, company picnics, etc. at reasonable rates.  Visitors may enjoy the picnic tables in the mill-race meadow any time; public restrooms are available when the mill is open.

Millwood is about 50 miles west of Washington, D.C. Follow the Historic Mill and Museum signs from routes 50 (about a mile east of the Shenandoah  River bridge) or 340 (at the blinking light in Boyce or at Old Chapel). Map/Directions

The Mill is closed after Thanksgiving through April.  During that time, please direct inquiries to the administration office at (540) 955-2600 or email ccha@visuallink.com

We also found a nice little movie on the website YouTube -- please click on the link to view it:  Burwell Morgan Grist Mill

 

This print of a lovely rural community in Virginia at the turn of the last century is offered in a special limited edition of ten prints signed especially for the Clarke County Historical Association at $90 each. The image size is 16 x 20 inches.
The community of Millwood includes the sturdy, water-powered Burwell-Morgan merchant mill dating to 1782, seen in the upper right of the painting. The mill is named in part for Lt. Col. Nathaniel Burwell of Carter’s Grove Plantation on the James River, who lived in “Brookside,” seen behind the miller's house, while the mill and his estate “Carter Hall” was under construction. Burwell’s partner in the milling venture was Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan, who lived at “Saratoga,” near Boyce, Va.

The mill is listed on the National Landmarks Register. It is owned and operated by the Clarke County Historical Association, Inc., who have recently renovated the great water wheel and wooden gears. The mill will begin grinding again in June 2001.

CCHA also owns the Miller’s House (center) and the Tollhouse (at left). At one time, US 50 followed this roadway and forded Spout Run at this point. It was later rerouted to the other side of the Mill.