Laurel Mills, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Laurel Mills is an unincorporated community
in Rappahannock County
, Virginia
, United States
. It is located in the southern part of the county, approximately halfway between Amissville
and Washington
. Laurel Mills is located along the Thornton River in Rappahannock County on Route 618 (Laurel Mills Road), between Viewtown and Rock Mills.
A post office was established at Laurel Mills at least as early as 1847 with Cornelius Smith as postmaster. This post office may have been moved from Newby's Crossroads, which was located about 1/2 mile east of Laurel Mills. The post office at Newby's Crossroads was established in 1814, and apparently ceased to exist between 1835 and 1847.
A sawmill and a gristmill were known to operate at the Laurel Mills location even earlier. The sawmill was known as Baker's Mill and the gristmill was known as Roberts' Mill and may have been there previous to the American Revolution. This Roberts Mill may have been owned by either William Roberts (abt 1738-bef 1810) or his father John Roberts (abt 1703-abt 1802).
Laurel Mills has a cohesive collection of mid-to-late-19th-century architectural resources associated with the Rappahannock Woolen Mills. The structures in the village represent the Greek Revival, Queen Anne
, Italianate and Gothic Revival
architectural forms. A group of three workers' houses dating to approximately 1840 features several common -story wood-framed houses with stone foundations, while the impressive mill ruins of the Rappahannock Woolen Mills Company represent early 20th-century industrial architecture. An old, red-frame general store continues to serve the neighborhood, offering groceries and other necessities as well as self-service fuel. The mill owner's large dwelling was located on a bluff overlooking the village below. This old mansion has a turret and wide porches, and is today a bed and breakfast.
The compact village took advantage of local geographical features, including the Thornton River, which provided water power to run the mill. Laurel Mills appears today much as it did when the mill closed in 1927, with its buildings lining a single road that follows the topography, curving sharply near the western edge of the district at the bluff.
Across the Thornton River on a hill once stood the historic mansion of "Laurel Hill." This mansion was built in the early 19th century by Major John Roberts, who served in the Revolutionary War and son of the aforementioned William Roberts, and whose family owned much land in the area, particularly on Battle Mountain and Battle Run which are to the east of Laurel Mills. "Laurel Hill" was home to this branch of the Roberts family until about 1850, when it was sold to the family of Puller Alexander Hughes. Unfortunately the mansion burned down in 1915 due to a defective flue in a modern kitchen which had been added to the structure.
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 Rappahannock County
Rappahannock County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 7,373 people, 2,788 households, and 2,004 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 3,303 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in the southern part of the county, approximately halfway between Amissville
Amissville, Virginia
Amissville is an unincorporated community in Rappahannock County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located on U.S. Route 211 about halfway between Warrenton and the small town of Washington, Virginia. Amissville was first settled by French Huguenots and the English. In about 1763, Thomas...
and Washington
Washington, Virginia
Washington is a town in Rappahannock County, Virginia. It is noted for being the oldest of the 28 towns and villages by the name of Washington in the United States of America. The site of this town was surveyed by George Washington himself in July of 1749. Its population was just 183 people at the...
. Laurel Mills is located along the Thornton River in Rappahannock County on Route 618 (Laurel Mills Road), between Viewtown and Rock Mills.
A post office was established at Laurel Mills at least as early as 1847 with Cornelius Smith as postmaster. This post office may have been moved from Newby's Crossroads, which was located about 1/2 mile east of Laurel Mills. The post office at Newby's Crossroads was established in 1814, and apparently ceased to exist between 1835 and 1847.
A sawmill and a gristmill were known to operate at the Laurel Mills location even earlier. The sawmill was known as Baker's Mill and the gristmill was known as Roberts' Mill and may have been there previous to the American Revolution. This Roberts Mill may have been owned by either William Roberts (abt 1738-bef 1810) or his father John Roberts (abt 1703-abt 1802).
Laurel Mills has a cohesive collection of mid-to-late-19th-century architectural resources associated with the Rappahannock Woolen Mills. The structures in the village represent the Greek Revival, Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
, Italianate and Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
architectural forms. A group of three workers' houses dating to approximately 1840 features several common -story wood-framed houses with stone foundations, while the impressive mill ruins of the Rappahannock Woolen Mills Company represent early 20th-century industrial architecture. An old, red-frame general store continues to serve the neighborhood, offering groceries and other necessities as well as self-service fuel. The mill owner's large dwelling was located on a bluff overlooking the village below. This old mansion has a turret and wide porches, and is today a bed and breakfast.
The compact village took advantage of local geographical features, including the Thornton River, which provided water power to run the mill. Laurel Mills appears today much as it did when the mill closed in 1927, with its buildings lining a single road that follows the topography, curving sharply near the western edge of the district at the bluff.
Across the Thornton River on a hill once stood the historic mansion of "Laurel Hill." This mansion was built in the early 19th century by Major John Roberts, who served in the Revolutionary War and son of the aforementioned William Roberts, and whose family owned much land in the area, particularly on Battle Mountain and Battle Run which are to the east of Laurel Mills. "Laurel Hill" was home to this branch of the Roberts family until about 1850, when it was sold to the family of Puller Alexander Hughes. Unfortunately the mansion burned down in 1915 due to a defective flue in a modern kitchen which had been added to the structure.