Proctor & Biggs Feed Mill
Warren Co. | Virginia | USA
Watersource: electricity
Proctor & Biggs Feed Mill
At 500 E.Main St. off US 522/N&S Commercial, Front Royal, Va.
The mill is a 3 story poured concrete mill about 35' x 45' in size. Now a restaurant with an old 1885 Southern train depot, now the Front Royal-Warren Co. Visitor Center, next-door.
This is the most successful of the three mills that operated in Front Royal near the Southern Depot. According to newspaper reports, by 1921, Proctor- Biggs’ output was 150 barrels a day. The mill survived 6 major fires, and in 1981, Mr. William M. “Billy†Biggs said, “It’s a sturdy old building. The 12x12 chestnut beams are still there. We just rebuild the rafters in it each timeâ€.
Main Street Mill Restaurant- American fare in a 1922 cattle feed mill, was in operation since 1997. The local trolley car/bus service pulling into the Visitor Center.
The old 1885 Southern train depot, now the Front Royal-Warren Co. Visitor Center, next-door to the mill.
Prior mill on this site was the Pettitt & Carter Feed Mill, a 2.5 story frame mill with various additions. This earlier mill 1890’s mill was destroyed by a fire in 1921, virtually destroying much of Front Royal. A fire in 1969, caused 1 million dollars in damage & a subsequent fire a year later caused only minor damage.
George Brown Baggarly (1924 - 2011) was a later retired proprietor of the Proctor & Biggs Feed Mill.GPS: 38° 55.05' N 78° 11.33' W ele 561'/171 meters Front Royal Quadrangle