Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/08/2006
NRHP Listing Date 04/20/2006
NRHP Reference Number 06000325
The Federal-style Breneman-Turner Mill, circa 1800, is the oldest surviving, fully equipped, pre-Civil War gristmill in Rockingham County, and a rare example of brick mill construction. Built for Abraham Breneman, who partook in the migration of Pennsylvania-German Mennonites to the Shenandoah Valley that began in the early 18th century, the mill operated as a gristmill from 1800 to 1988. It contains a 1920s-era water wheel, 16 feet in diameter, which was powered originally from a millpond supplied by Linville Creek. Since most old-fashioned stone burr mills were converted to roller mills after the Civil War, the mill is an important survivor of this trend. Between 1933 and 1988, J. Howard Turner owned and operated the mill, maintaining its historical technology. Today it retains many interesting features, including an early French burr grinding stone. Plans at the time that the mill was listed in the registers envisioned restoring and re-opening the mill for grinding demonstrations and historical interpretation.
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
Updated: April 16, 2021
