Along the bank of Stony Creek, and right on Main Street as you enter the town of Edinburg, stands the historic Edinburg Mill. Within the Mill is The Shenandoah Valley Cultural Heritage Museum, a must see for both tourists and locals alike.
If you have grown up in the valley, you are probably very aware of the mill and its history. If you are of a certain age, you will be familiar with some of the family names and shops that are displayed in the museum. If you are not local, the museum offers a look back into the way life was in this area during the 1800s and early 1900s.
There are exhibits and topographical maps describing the transportation routes along the Great Valley Pike, the toll road, and the railroad. There is an assortment of Fairbanks, Acme, and Howe scales, feed sacks, tools, and storefronts of the era.
The downstairs of the museum houses a few exhibits and the gift shop, but you really want to pay the nominal fee of $3 to go upstairs and wander the halls of the mill and explore the different displays housed there.
At one time an actual working mill, the interior workings are preserved and described, as you walk the original wood floors and go back in time. The floors are patched in places, with tin scraps, and at times, creak with age with visitors’ footsteps. The original drive-through for the Mill has been converted to the main floor gift shop and entry.
Upon entering the museum, Judy Ritchie and Barbara Forsyth greet all visitors. Judy has been with the museum for 6 years, Barbara for 13 years. There are probably no questions they can’t answer about the Mill and its exhibits.
Of particular interest to a certain nine-year-old visitor, was the story of eleven-year-old Frank Hottel, who was tragically killed in a mill accident in October of 1898. According to the museum docents, over the years, Frankie still made his presence known, from time to time. Lights go on and off, things may go missing, sometimes there is the feeling that makes one look over their shoulder. All things a mischievous little boy might do, but is it really the spirit of young Frank?
In 2011, a paranormal investigative group spent the night at the Mill. Judy Ritchie stayed also. Odd things happened during the night, but the most defining for the investigators, was when they placed a flashlight on the stairs, and asked Frankie if he would “play with it”. To their surprise, the flashlight turned on and off, and continued to do so, every time they asked Frankie to do so. “But as the night wound down, they told Frank that if he would work the flashlight one more time, he could keep it. He did and the flashlight has been there ever since.” You can view the flashlight on the steps, and the history of the boy’s tragic demise.
Established in 1848, the Mill was built by “Major” George Grandstaff, for the famers of the Shenandoah Valley. Sixteen years later, during the Civil War, a Union General and his troops, rode into town, on their mission to burn down every barn, in an effort to destroy the Confederacy. A bucket brigade saved the Mill. You can still see a charred timber from that failed burning.
Water from the adjacent Stony Creek ran the water wheels, which in turn, moved the grinding machinery. Much of the actual inner workings of the Mill are still visible in the upstairs self-guided tour. There are many rooms, and nooks and crannies, each holding a bit of history of the families and the town.
In 1979 the Mill became one of two historic mills in the county to become a registered National Historic Landmark. In 2012, it became The Museum at the Edinburg Mill.
On the ground floor of the Museum, along with a wide variety of gifts and historical books, there are also bags of cracked corn available for purchase to feed the ducks who inhabit Stony Creek.
The Museum is open Monday- Saturday 9:30am-5:30pm, Sunday- 12noon- 5pm.
214 S. Main St, Edinburg, VA 22824
540-984-8400
On site you will also find the Edinburg Mill Restaurant, with the attached Heritage Mill 1848 Wine Shop.
Edinburg Mill Restaurant – Wed – Sunday 11am-2pm lunch, 4pm-8pm dinner Reservations recommended. 540-984-8898
Wine Shop 540-984-4077
If you would like to assist in preserving the Mill, you can join Edinburg Heritage Foundation Inc., Box 336, Edinburg, VA 22824. $15 annually for individual, $25 for family.
