The Reed Creek Mill dates to around 1902, when it was known as Stone Mill and replaced a prior Barrett’s Foundry and Mill that was built on the same Wythe County site in 1858. Situated about a mile south of the Wythe County Courthouse, the 4.8-acre mill property also includes a 350-foot-long mill dam, head race, tail race, and a circa 1950 storage warehouse. The rectangular-shaped, timber-frame, three-story gristmill rests on a coursed limestone and poured concrete foundation with lower frame side wings. Galvanized corrugated metal siding clads the entire building. Operating for more than 100 years, the mill was central to the rural Reed Creek community’s economy, producing flour and buckwheat while retailing cattle feed and farming supplies. In its early years, Reed Creek Mill also generated electricity for Wytheville’s streetlights until 1911 when Appalachian Power Company took over that role. By 1975, the Reed Creek Mill had ceased producing flour for human consumption but it continued milling livestock feed until 2004.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
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DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia