I have many memories of the old Chapman-Beverley Mill near Haymarket, VA. When my parents drove me out to my Grandfather's house when I was a child in the '80s, I knew that when I saw the mill, we were getting close to his house up on Rt. 600. Easy to see off Rt. 66, the image of this old, decrepit mill was a lasting one in our family...my cousin painted a wonderful painting of it, that hung on the wall at my Grandfather's house for years. After his death in 1995, at the ripe old age of 102, the painting disappeared, and I haven't seen it since.
The mill itself is the stuff of legends. It was built in 1742 by Jonathan and Nathaniel Chapman, a father/son duo. The mill became an important gristmill in the Shenandoah Valley, providing cornmeal and wheat to Alexandria, and for shipping to Europe. Over the years, the mill has proven to be an important site in the Thoroughfare Gap area near Haymarket. It has been used to provide American troops with food and shelter in seven different wars: the French-Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I & II. George Washington visited the mill several times.
During the Civil War, the Confederates used Chapman's Mill as a meat curing warehouse. It is around this time that I hear one of the legends of the mill occurred. From what I understand, it is said that a girl gave a farmer's wife bad meat from the mill, and it ended up killing the woman. In a rage, the woman's husband hung the girl, killing her, on the fourth floor of the mill. Local residents have since reported sightings of an apparition that appears to be a girl hanging from a meat hook. That's the gist of the story that I've heard a couple of times over the years.
After the first Battle of Manassas, the Confederates set fire to the mill, so Union troops could not use it to their advantage. In August of 1862, the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap took place in the same vicinity of Chapman's Mill. Confederate Lt. General James Longstreet defeated Union Brig. General James Ricketts in this battle, and proceeded to the second Battle of Manassas. Many say that this battle directly led to the South's victory in the second Manassas. There were about 100 casualties in the Thoroughfare skirmish.
In 1876, Chapman's Mill became Beverley's Mill, after the Beverley family restored it and brought the mill back to operating status.
In 1903, Charles Furr Jr., from Staunton, VA purchased the mill. It continued it's milling functions until 1951.
In October of 1998, a fire decimated the mill, and left it in the current shape it's in. The 'Turn the Mill Around' campaign has recently brought attention to this mill, and it's historical impact on the Thoroughfare Gap area, and Prince William & Fauquier Counties. They are working to raise funds to revitalize the mill, and use it for historical purposes.
http://chapmansmill.org/A recent 'Potomac News' article on the mill:
http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN%2FMGArticle%2FWPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782621868&path=An article from Prince William County's website:
http://www.co.prince-william.va.us/default.aspx?topic=020110000100001749A CivilWarNews.com article about Beverley's Mill:
http://www.civilwarnews.com/archive/articles/beverly_mill2.htm
