McDonalds Mill, Virginia
Encyclopedia
McDonalds Mill is an unincorporated community
in the northeastern section of Montgomery County, Virginia
. Located approximately 10 miles east of Blacksburg, Virginia
along State Route 785, McDonalds Mill lies at the floor of the Catawba Valley and is bound on the south by Paris Mountain
and to the north by Gallion Ridge.
as it was when the region was first occupied by immigrants from the British Isles
. The origin of the creek that eventually becomes the Roanoke River is just a few miles from the mill. The fledgling stream gathered water quickly from springs and hollows and in a short distance, was big enough to make a mill pond
inside the current Montgomery County line. The stream was dammed and a race was constructed of lumber sawed for nearby forest to carry the water to the top of the mill wheel several hundred yards downstream. According to Yost, the mill was established in the 1790s and was operated by five generations of McDonalds. Two buildings preceded the current structure that Yost purchased in 1952.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in the northeastern section of Montgomery County, Virginia
Montgomery County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 83,629 people, 30,997 households, and 17,203 families residing in the county. The population density was 215 people per square mile . There were 32,527 housing units at an average density of 84 per square mile...
. Located approximately 10 miles east of Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
along State Route 785, McDonalds Mill lies at the floor of the Catawba Valley and is bound on the south by Paris Mountain
Paris Mountain
Paris Mountain is the local name for the highest peak of the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County and Clarke County in Virginia. The peak, which is located just north of Ashby's Gap and the town of Paris, for which it is named, represents the highest elevation in both counties. The...
and to the north by Gallion Ridge.
History
The current McDonald's Mill was built in 1861. The current owners, Ned and Janet Yost, want to preserve the mill and the land around it so that others can get a glimpse of life on the North Fork of the Roanoke RiverRoanoke River
The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...
as it was when the region was first occupied by immigrants from the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. The origin of the creek that eventually becomes the Roanoke River is just a few miles from the mill. The fledgling stream gathered water quickly from springs and hollows and in a short distance, was big enough to make a mill pond
Mill pond
A mill pond is any body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam across a waterway. In many places, the common proper name Mill Pond name has remained even though the mill has long since gone...
inside the current Montgomery County line. The stream was dammed and a race was constructed of lumber sawed for nearby forest to carry the water to the top of the mill wheel several hundred yards downstream. According to Yost, the mill was established in the 1790s and was operated by five generations of McDonalds. Two buildings preceded the current structure that Yost purchased in 1952.