More on the Zirkle Mill

For our library speaker program yesterday, we had Robert Andrews speaking on the Zirkle Mill in Forestville, VA. He's done a tremendous amount of research and showed us images of records that helped him date the mill back to the 1760's. For instance, the mill provided 6 barrels of flour to the Continental Army in 1781 (when they were facing the British at Yorktown). That indicates that it is older than most mills still standing in the Shenandoah Valley.

Mr. Andrews and Sherryl Belinsky purchased the mill in January 2006. They are descendants of the Zirkle family who came to Forestville from Pennsylvania in 1753 and founded the mill. Andrews and Belinsky plan to give the mill to the Old Dominion Preservation Foundation which was founded to save the mill from being dismantled and moved away from its original location.

I couldn't help thinking that my mother would have enjoyed that lecture. She liked old mills and covered bridges - examples of technology and architecture from the past.

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Historical Marker: Andrew Zirkle Mill