Breneman-Turner Mill

Last updated

Breneman-Turner Mill
Breneman-Turner Mill.jpg
Roadside view of the mill
USA Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location5036 Turners Mill Ln., near Harrisonburg, Virginia
Coordinates 38°31′31″N78°52′31″W / 38.52528°N 78.87528°W / 38.52528; -78.87528
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Builtc. 1800 (1800)
Architectural styleFederal
NRHP reference No. 06000325 [1]
VLR No.082-0023
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 20, 2006
Designated VLRMarch 8, 2006 [2]

Breneman-Turner Mill is a historic grist mill located near Harrisonburg in Rockingham County, Virginia. It was built on Linville Creek about 1800 by Abraham Breneman, and is a 2 1/2-story, Federal style brick building. The building retains its water wheel, measuring 16 feet in diameter and 5 feet wide, and three sets of burr stones. The mill survived General Philip Sheridan’s burning of the Shenandoah Valley in 1864; neighbors helped put out fires set to the mill. [3]

Due to its essential role in grinding grain into flour, hominy, and feed for cattle, the water-powered mill served as a center for community life during pioneer days. The mill is the only pre-Civil War mill remaining in Rockingham County with all its grist mill equipment still in place. The mill's most recent operator, J. Howard Turner, operated the mill from 1933 to 1988 and envisioned it as a place where future generations could learn about milling and see the process. [4]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  3. Darryl Nash; Kenneth Weaver; Steven Shenk (November 2005). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Breneman-Turner Mill" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying four photos
  4. "Breneman-Turner Mill". Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center. Retrieved April 24, 2025.