The town of Mount Jackson began as a settlement where the Great Wagon Road crossed Mill Creek. The original gristmill existed before 1746, and the current building replaced it in 1872. Until recently, this mill had fallen into disrepair, but it has been fixed up and painted.
The road eventually became the Valley Pike and is now US 11. In Mount Jackson, it is known as Main Street.
Across the road from Mount Jackson Mill is a log home built in 1751. Additions have been built on to the back, but the front of the home still displays the original logs.
I took these pictures on a rainy day and the house is reflected on the street. The picture looks lopsided because the street runs downhill to Mill Creek, but the foundation was built up so the house would be level. You can see where the roof to the front porch was, but the porch was removed when the road was widened in the 1930s.
Local lore says that George Washington visited this house. A better documented story tells us that it was used as a Civil War hospital, which was true of many buildings in the Shenandoah Valley since multiple battles were fought in the region.
Lovely buildings and nice reflections in the rainy road.
ReplyDeleteLove the black and white, and the history is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteLooks great, Beautiful photos
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful traditional houses Linda!
ReplyDeleteNice photos!!
It’s always good to preserve history.
ReplyDeleteTwo beautiful buildings and an interesting story.
ReplyDelete