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On
September 27, 1645, the King of England issued Richard Bartlett
a land grant for 200 acres of land in Upper Norfolk County (later
named Nansemond County and now named the City of Suffolk) on the
head of Chuckatuck Creek. The grant was given for the construction
of a gristmill. It is probable that this site may have had a working
gristmill by the late 1600s.
It
is generally believed that one pair of the millstones is original
to the late 17th century mill, making them Tidewater Virginia’s
oldest industrial equipment. Although the early mill burned, it
was subsequently rebuilt or restored (exact date unknown). The millstones
would not have been harmed by fire, and because of their size, value
and longevity, they were almost certainly placed in the restored
mill.
Bricks
at the mill have been dated to the 1820s, but historians believe
that time period to have been one of renovation. The bricked-in
front windows and door of the 15-foot high basement indicate an
earlier construction date, when the road in front (Route 10) was
at a much lower level than at present. Presumably, the bricked-up
basement was originally the first floor level of the structure.
It is speculated that earth was built up in front of the mill in
order to create more of a “fall” for the water to turn
the wheel or to create the millpond. Since records for what was
originally Upper Norfolk County were burned during the Revolutionary
War and again during the Civil War, it is difficult to obtain accurate
or exact historical data. The Chuckatuck Grist Mill is listed as
one of the 17th century mill site landmarks in the Commonwealth
of Virginia.
The
unusual Williamsburg style grooves and beading, found on all of
the supporting posts and beams, are indicative of construction before
1800. Very few working mills used the same style. Another feature
of note is the stairway leading from the second level to the third
level. A series of pegged treads on the right and left of the stairway
originally held the stairway together without nails. Years of footsteps
have worn the tread thin. Original wavy glass and hand-blown glass
remain in many of the windows, both on the first and second floors.
The
gristmill was an important part of early settlers’ life. It
provided a place where the local residents could have their corn
turned into meal or purchase meal for their families. Some believe
that the basement was used to hold meetings for the then not-so-popular
Quakers. George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers),
is reported to have visited Chuckatuck in 1672. Afterwards, a sizable
group of this sect settled here.
The
necessity for some way to grind corn (other than the Indian method
of mortar and pestle) was recognized in the Virginia colony as early
as 1620. At that time a proposition was introduced in court to bring
from England skillful wrights to construct water mills. The following
year the Colony Treasurer was commanded to build such a mill. The
number of mills increased steadily as the number of colonists increased,
and the cultivation of corn and other crops was successful.
Millstones
were among early shipments to the colony. The stones themselves,
which formed the crushing or grinding component of the mill, weighed
over a ton each and were used in pairs. It is believed that such
stones were sometimes brought in as cargo from Europe, often coming
as ballast in the early ships that came through the Chesapeake Bay
and Hampton Roads harbors, and then up the James River. At first,
only English stones were deemed to possess the requisite hardness
and structure, but surviving records show that at least one set
of millstones was of French origin, brought to the colonies around
1700.
Around
the turn of the 20th century, the old wooden water wheel was replaced
by a double-wide metal wheel. This overshot wheel is still in place
today, and, although most of the buckets are rusted away, it is
still in fairly good condition. Chuckatuck’s first electric
“power plant” was located in the mill’s basement.
Another mill wheel was added at an angle to the main wheel; a diversion
system was built to split the water flow from the main wheel, normally
used during daylight hours, over to the generator wheel for nighttime
use. Wires were strung to nearby homes. The mill wheel furnished
electric power for the small Village of Chuckatuck until sometime
in the 1930s or 1940s.
B.W.
Goodwin, grandfather of twice Virginia Governor Mills Edwin Godwin,
Jr., was the last owner of the mill to use it as a working gristmill.
For the last 30-odd years, the building has been used for various
non-milling business operations. Prior to the mill’s purchase
by Paul and Sharon Krumpe, the second floor was converted into a
modern apartment, and nothing remains of the five grain separation
bins and other equipment located on that floor. However, the windows
are original, and the wood framing has been exposed in certain places.
The owner at the time of remodeling reported seeing a nineteenth-century
ghost (dated by his costume). Although the Krumpes have not seen
any ghosts wandering about, they are keenly aware of the mill’s
historic value and are dedicated to its preservation.
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