Beverley Mill
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Beverley Mill
| nrhp_type =
| designated_other1 = Virginia Landmarks Register
| designated_other1_date = November 1, 1971{{cite web|title=Virginia Landmarks Register|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources|accessdate=5 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053819/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|archive-date=2013-09-21|url-status=dead}}
| designated_other1_number = 076-0002
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| image = Beverley's Mill, State Route 55, Thoroughfare (Prince William County, Virginia).jpg
| caption = Beverley's Mill, HABS Photo
| location = Junction of Virginia State Route 55 and Beverleys Mill Road, near Broad Run, Virginia
| coordinates = {{coord|38|49|28|N|77|42|39|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = USA Virginia Northern#USA Virginia#USA
| built = {{Start date|1742}}
| added = February 23, 1972
| area = {{convert|9.9|acre}}
| refnum = 72001411{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
| nrhp_type2 = cp
| nocat = yes
| designated_nrhp_type2 = April 21, 2016
| partof = Broad Run-Little Georgetown Rural Historic District
| partof_refnum = 16000205
| builder = {{hlist|Jonathan Chapman|Nathaniel Chapman}}
| restored = {{Start date|1858}}
| restored_by = {{hlist|John Chapman}}
}}
Beverley Mill, also known as Chapman's Mill or the Chapman-Beverley Mill, is a historic grist mill located north of Interstate 66 and Virginia State Route 55 in Thoroughfare Gap near Broad Run, Virginia, straddling the county line between Prince William and Fauquier Counties. It was built about 1759, and is a five-story, four bay by three bay, rubble stone structure. The water power was provided by Broad Run which, in its {{convert|1300|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=on}} passage through the Gap, drops {{convert|87|ft|m|abbr=off}}. Exterior mill machinery included a {{convert|29|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=on}} metal waterwheel and sluice gate as well as a stone mill race. The mill continued in operation through World War II.{{cite web|url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/076-0002_Beverley_Mill_1971_Final_Nomination.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Beverley Mill |author=Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff|date= August 1971|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}} and [https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/076-0002/ Accompanying photo] It is included in the Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield.
The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. On October 22, 1998, a fire resulting from vandalism gutted the mill, which is awaiting restoration.{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124230648/http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/planning/Pages/Beverley-Mill-aka-Chapmans-Mill.aspx|archivedate=January 24, 2019|url=http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/planning/Pages/Beverley-Mill-aka-Chapmans-Mill.aspx|title=Beverley Mill aka Chapman's Mill|publisher=government of Prince William County, Virginia|accessdate=June 1, 2019}}
History
The mill was originally built in 1742 by Jonathan and Nathaniel Chapman and later enlarged in 1758. When originally built it was fully contained within Prince William County, but was used as a landmark when creating Fauquier County. Now, the mill is within both counties.{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Frances Lillian |url=https://www.pwcva.gov/assets/2021-04/histcomm_book_beverley_mill.pdf |title=Beverley (Chapman’s) Mill, Thoroughfare Gap, Virginia: A History and Preservation Plan |date= |publisher=Prince William County Historical Commission |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9792155-1-3 |location=Prince William, VA}}
Chapman family records show that 45 individuals were enslaved on the farm adjoining the mill. A fire in 1858 damaged the mill, but it was rebuilt using slave labor and adding an additional two stories.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Chapmans Mill |url=https://www.historicprincewilliam.org/county-history/structures/chapmans-mill.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Historic Prince William Inc. |language=en}} John Chapman, the owner desired to increase the capacity of the mill due to the recent installation of the nearby Manassas Gap Railroad.
The mill played a crucial role during the American Civil War. By 1861, the mill had become a meat curing and distribution center operated by the Confederates. The Confederates later burned the mill to prevent the Union from obtaining resources left in the mill.{{Cite web |title=Chapman's Mill |url=https://www.virginia.org/listing/chapmans-mill/4147/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.virginia.org |language=en-us}} In 1862, the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap took place in and around the mill. Following John Chapman's death, the property was privately sold Robert Beverley. The Beverley family restored the mill after the war by 1876.{{Cite web |title=Mill History |url=https://www.chapmansmill.org/history |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Chapman-Beverley Mill |language=en-US}}
The mill was sold several times throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with Charles Furr Jr. purchasing the mill in 1903. Through the early 1940s, the mill annually produced approximately 100,000 bushels of grain and employed six individuals. Following renovations, the Furr family sold the mill to Walter Chrysler in 1945 who soon closed and sold the mill in 1951 due in inability to comply with FDA regulations.
The mill initially became at risk in the 1960s when the Virginia Department of Transportation was constructing Interstate 66 through the Thoroughfare Gap; however, efforts by private citizens helped reroute I-66 around the mill. The mill was then sold in 1973 to Bull Run Preserve, Inc, with the intention of restoring the property, but restoration efforts had ceased by 1981 and the mill was boarded to prevent vandalism.File:Gainesville, VA, USA - panoramio (2).jpgThe mill was heavily damaged by arson in 1998, resulting in the roof, internal mechanics, and flooring being destroyed. The mill is currently owned by the Turn the Mill Around Campaign, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation with the goal of restoring and reopening the mill for public access.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commonscat-inline|Beverley Mill}}
- [http://chapmansmill.org/ Chapman/Beverly Mill Historic Site at Thoroughfare Gap: Turn The Mill Around Campaign]
- [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/va0852/ Beverley's Mill, State Route 55, Haymarket, Prince William County, VA]: 1 photo at Historic American Buildings Survey
{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia}}
Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia
Category:Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1759
Category:Buildings and structures in Prince William County, Virginia
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Prince William County, Virginia
Category:Buildings and structures in Fauquier County, Virginia
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Fauquier County, Virginia
{{PrinceWilliamCountyVA-NRHP-stub}}