Governor’s decision saves 250-year-old mill

Residents in Forestville, Va., have saved the centuries-old gristmill they think is the foundation of their tiny Shenandoah Valley town.

The Zirkle Mill, built more than 250 years ago, had been in danger of being dismantled and moved 50 miles south to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton. Residents thought the mill would lose its historical significance if it was moved.

The state-run museum bought the mill last year, but Virginia Secretary of Education Belle S. Wheelan on Monday told the museum that Gov. Mark Warner has denied the purchase request.

“The decision became a difficult one because of concerns raised by the historic preservation community, residents of Shenandoah County and the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors,” Miss Wheelan wrote in a letter to museum officials. “Their interest in preserving a local landmark is also valid and had to be considered in the equation.”

Members of the Zirkle Mill Foundation — a cross-generational group of farmers and preservationists — applauded the decision.

“We feel that our efforts have been validated with this decision,” said Leslie Meaux, a foundation member. “It is an irreplaceable and priceless part of Virginia history as well as national history.”

Mrs. Meaux said the group now will work to preserve the mill. Among the ideas the group is considering is the creation of a “Frontier Trail” that would incorporate the mill. The trail would be open to tourists.

“Tourists could stop to really see in the context of where the early pioneers settled in the Shenandoah Valley,” she said.

Lisa Zirkle’s German immigrant ancestors built the mill. Her parents, both devoted historians, have showcased it to Zirkle descendants around the world.

Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan and his Union troops marched through Virginia in 1864, burning everything in sight. The mill’s owner quickly flew a Union flag and greeted the troops warmly, even though he was a Confederate sympathizer.

“It was the only mill in the area left standing that day,” Miss Zirkle said.

Local business owner Sonny Bowman bought the mill in 1996. Last year, he rejected the foundation’s offer of $230,000 to buy back the entire property and accepted the museum’s offer of about $100,000 for just the mill.

The museum wanted to use the mill as a focal point of a re-created 1850s village that would triple the size of the museum.

Miss Wheelan said the governor’s decision was made easier knowing there are other mill options available to the museum.

The mill, which is on state and federal historic registers, would have lost its status on those lists if it had been moved, said Kathleen Kilpatrick, Virginia’s historic preservation officer.

The mill was placed on the state’s list of “Most Endangered Sites in Virginia” compiled by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities earlier this year.