Poplar Grove Tide Mill
Mathews Co. | Virginia | USA
Watersource: Mobjak Bay.
Poplar Grove Tide Mill
From the center of the town of Mathews, go south on Va 14 for 2.2 miles to where Rt 613 goes to the left. Turn right on Poplar Grove Lane. The mill sits back the lane on PRIVATE PROPERTY, near the community of Port Haywood, Va.
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A mid-1800's tidal mill which replaced an earlier colonial mill that burned during the Civil War.
The two story, frame with gable roof mill operated up to 1912. The mill wooden operated with an undershot wheel and two runs of stones.
Three spokes, those in the water, are still into axle.GPS: 37D 23.81'N, 76D 20.12'W ele 16'/5 meters Mathews Quadrangle
Other parts of the wheel are on the grass under a tree, the rest is gone. The only known existing tidal mill left in Virginia.
Three spokes are still into axle, part of the wheel on the grass under a tree, the rest is gone.
Large wheel gear on inside of mill, operated other gears when the tide moved the outer undershot waterwheel.
More gearing operating directly off the main waterwheel shaft.
A wooden, weighted wheel, used mainly as a source of maintaining centrifugal force.
A run of stones, an upper stones that turned on a shaft and a stationary lower stone encased in a wooden shroud. The shroud was designed to minimize flour dust getting everywhere and had a device to collect the flour. The hopper is situated above the stone and the wheat or corn was dribbled onto the center of the stones at a changeable, desired rate.
A vintage photo of the Poplar Grove Tide Mill from about 1900. The two runs of stone are in place yet .
The Poplar Grove Estate Mansion. The mill was once owned by John Lennon & Yoko Ono-had plans to develop the mill into a recording studio.