April 17, 2013

Woodstock Loses an Old Mill

Last year I posted some photos of an old mill that looked like it was ready to fall down. . I didn't know anything about it but mentioned that it was on Water Street in Woodstock, Virginia.

Recently I got an email saying that it has collapsed. The writer is a Mill List Coordinator with the Society for Preservation of Old Mills. He identified the mill as French's Mill.

With that name I was able to find the mill mentioned on the Hottel-Keller Memorial website. It says that "George H. Hottel ... built the mill in 1888. The mill was later owned and operated by Martin Van Buren French."
Small World Note: I've linked to the Hottel-Keller site before, in September 2010 after we attended Germanfest, which they sponsored.
A few days ago I took pictures of the recently-collapsed mill. I suspect the winter storms did it in.



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12 comments:

  1. Well that's a shame but it's a good thing that you got your pic when you did.

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  2. Too bad it came to such an end, but you got some compelling captures!

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  3. It's a shame that the old mill is gone, but I suppose it was inevitable. It must have been quite a structure in its heyday.

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  4. It is a small world! Sad that it collapsed, but you were lucky to get the earlier picture when you did.

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  5. Sad that the history is lost, but at least you got some before and after pics.

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  6. That's too bad. It was a neat structure.

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  7. Too bad someone didn't try to restore it before it got so bad. It was a beautiful building even in disrepair.

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  8. Hi Linda:)
    When mills become redundant it's a shame.In the town where I live there are many textile mills in this sorry derelict state. It's so sad it had to come to this but inevitable. I remember them as thriving places of employment. In it's day this one would have been quite an impressive building, but nothing ever stays the same,unless it is a protected building:(

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  9. It is to sad to see an old mill collapsed. It was good that you could photograph it before it's gone...

    Thanks for your nice comments on my blog.

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  10. So sad to see but inevitable I guess. It's good that you managed to catch it's falling-but-still-wonderful state in photos last year. We often don't know when out last chance to see and photograph something occurs unti it is gone.

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  11. I agree with Terry. I would have been lovely had someone tried to repair it to its former glory before it got so bad. It's sad to see these old buildings just collapse, never to return.

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