The mills builder/miller, Jacob Samuel Sellers, was born in 1844. He enlisted in the army of the Conferderate States of America in 1861.

Only serving a short time, he quickly paid for a someone to serve in his place for $350, staying home to help his brother Reuben raise food crops for the C.S.A.

It was during this time, that he built his grist mill and up-and-down saw mill, utilizing the flow of Smith Creek for power. The dam was located upstream, to the right in the photo. The creek flows north for about 13 miles as the crow flies (about triple the distance as the creek winds back and forth) to join the North Fork of the Shenandoah River just south of Mount Jackson in Shenandoah County.

A 2.5 story Harrison stone springhouse is located downstream on the east/opposite side of the creek from the mill. The old Miller-Bowman brick house is uphill from the Harrison Springhouse along Cr 717 on the east side of the bridge.

The small, neat mill is well cared for, as all the surrounding area has been kept well mowed and not allowed to grow up in weeds and revert to a wild state.GPS: 38D 33.40'N, 78D 44.28'W ele 1,050'/320 meters Tenth Legion Quadrangle