Breckinridge Mill, located near Catawba Creek in Botetourt County, is a remnant of the grain and milling industry that figured significantly in the economy of antebellum Virginia. One of the oldest mills in the region, the multi-level brick structure was erected in 1822 by James Breckinridge, a leading Federalist politician and landowner of southwestern Virginia, who lived in a mansion (since destroyed) nearby. The mill replaced an 1804 mill also erected by Breckinridge. The fine quality of its construction is shown in the Flemish-bond brickwork. Like most of Virginia’s early gristmills, Breckinridge Mill stood abandoned for many years following the introduction of modern milling establishments. The building received a new lease on life when it was sympathetically converted to apartments in 1980.

The Breckenridge Mill and an agricultural outbuilding, on 1/2-acre of land, were listed in the registers in 1980.  An amendment to the nomination was accepted by the National Register in 2002 to increase the boundary of what is now the Breckinridge Mill Complex to nearly four acres, taking in the miller’s house.
[VLR Accepted: 3/17/1999; NRHP Accepted: 5/30/2002]