Since I'm new to town (and the state) there's always something to admire and discover by taking a drive around the scenic county roads.
Little things that longtime residents take for granted we find thrilling....
such as clear streams with rocks instead of mud!
Kerrs Creek |
House Mountain |
An imaginative auto shop. That's the trunk of an old Chevy over the door.
As we were driving along I saw what looked like at first glance like a miniature ferris wheel embedded in the ground.
Too bad we couldn't climb over the fence to explore, but there were No Trespassing signs so we just admired the old mill from across the field.
All that appears to be left of the stone base is this corner.
Curious to know more, I did a little "Googling" and found that the remains are of Miller's Mill which was built around 1816.
The two photos below are from the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey via the Genealogy Trails History Group website
Even though the siding is falling off, the roof is still intact and the mill race is clear so it may have still been in use when these were taken.
From another source, this shot is from 1979.... obviously no longer in use.
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Photo courtesy of the USGenWeb Archives Project Originally contributed by Gill Pollard. |
There was still a large heap of wood and tin behind the wheel area so it looks like it was left to slowly crumble over the years.
Finally for those of you who are bird watchers, the variety of avian life in the area is quite striking!
Here are a few tropical species (and subspecies) that I wouldn't have expected to see wintering here in the Shenandoah Valley.
I may need to get an updated Field Guide.