Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/23/2021
NRHP Listing Date 11/18/2021
NRHP Reference Number SG100007188
Gish Mill is situated along the south bank of Glade Creek in Roanoke County’s Town of Vinton. The oldest portion of the building is a circa 1846 three-story brick structure. Originally relying on water-power to turn its millstones, the operation converted to an electric power roller mill in the 1910s. With much of its milling equipment intact—although its overshot water wheel no longer exists, the mill demonstrates how grain was processed into flour and feed for livestock. The three-story central block enabled gear shafts and conveyor belts to connect vertically through the different levels and to utilize gravity in the efficient processing of the grain. The handmade bricks of the 1846 mill as well as the concrete construction of the 1930s grain-bin addition reflect the eras in which they were built as well as the desirability of fireproof construction for the highly volatile milling process. The simple, multiple frame and concrete additions constructed between ca. 1930 and 1955 include grain bins and elevators, loading docks, additional storage rooms, and retail spaces that indicate the mill’s increased production during the mid-20th century. The Gish family sold the mill in 1867 to Isaac W. Vinyard, and in 1911 the mill became Vinton Rolling Mill, named for the community that arose around it. In 1956, it ceased operations under local ownership.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 19, 2021
