Muddy Creek Mill / Moon's Mill
Cumberland Co. | Virginia | USA
Watersource: Muddy Creek
Muddy Creek Mill / Moon's Mill
Take I-64 east from Charlottesville, Va for about 20 miles, use exit 136 to exit onto US 15/James Madison Highway south at Zion Crossroads, then go about another 20 miles south on US 15. Turn right on Sh 6 at Dixie and continue east through Holmhead and Columbia for about 15 miles to a junction with Sh 45/Cartersville Road. Turn right and go about 7 miles crossing the James River, then through Cartersville, hitting Cr 684/Cartersville Road Extended. Turn left and go slightly over 1 mile to the Tamworth Road/Cr 639, which deadends in .40 miles. The bridge over Muddy Creek is just beyond the turnoff. The mill and old community of Tamworth are near the end of the road.
The 3.5 story stone & brick mill on Muddy Creek built Nicholas Davies (Old Nick) in 1853. There is a preservation easement on the property and the mill has been for sale since sometime in 2010 and is curently so-price at $599,000. See the mill website for details, more info and photos not included here.
The grand old mill sits majesticly beside Muddy Creek about a mile upstream of th James River near Cartersville, Va.
A view of the creek/east side of the mill. This side of the roof does not contain the two upper/attic dormers as that of the west side.
The mill dam as seen from the Muddy Creek stream bank on the east side of the mill.
A photo used on the nomination form in 1974 to get the mill and mill property accepted into the National Register of Historic Places.
A photo of the first floor/stone section with a couple of millstones on the floor, left mid range of photo.
Another view of first floor with a lineshaft and pulleys on the left and a stone crane and millstone set on the right. A better photo of the stoneset in the next photo.
The millstone ginding stone set or run of stones with the stone crane to the left used to lift the upper stone off the netherstone and flip it over so the grinding surfaces of both stones could be sharpened. The lands and grooves would be sharpened by hand using a small, special pick and hammer.
A row of three roller mills on the left and a flour sifter on the right are some pieces of the second floor machinery. *Update: The roller mills are Stevens Roller Mills, an early roller mill that came on the scene in the 1880's, when mills began the transition to roller from stone-ground milling. The Stevens mills featured only one pair of rollers on each side of the mill rather than two pair of rollers as became common later. These are the same type of roller mills that are in McConnell's Mill in McConnell's Mill State Park near Portersville, Pa. and also in the Guldin Mill on Maidencreek at Blandon in Maidencreek Township, Berks County, Pa. Theodore R. Hazen 06/03/2011*
The third floor flour bolter. The whole mechamism shakes and oscilates, crewating quite a vibration and dust.
A machine on the third floor that looks quite a bit like a dust collector. It appears to be vented to the outside.
A glimpse through the miller's house kichen sink window of the north end of the mill, part of the milldam, and Muddy Creek.
The miller's house on a knoll just northwest of the mill. It is an early 19th century, Classic Colonial 2 story frame dwelling, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, approximately 2,100 square feet, substantially upgraded, new HVAC, new marble and porcelain bathrooms, renovated kitchen with marble & tile countertops, built-in double wall ovens, overlooks the mill and millstream.
Looking west through the second floor mill window at the old 1792 post office, tenant house, and sheds. The post office is constructed of Flemish bond brick walls and atterned Buckingham slate roof. This structure was in operation as a store and United States Post Office until the early 1980's.