Advance Mills Historic District

John Fray's Flour Mill in Advance Mills, Virginia

The Advance Mills Historic District, located northeast of Charlottesville, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 2002. It was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register on June 14, 2000.

This historic district, which was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in June of 2000, includes the village of Advance Mills and the historic Advance Mills Bridge.

History

Advance Mills is one of Albemarle County's most recognizable milling communities and contains resources dating back to the early 1800s. The Fray family dominated the history of the Advance Mills community. Town founder John Fray operated a flour mill at this location beginning in 1833 (CDP 2/24/1985). For more than fifty years the village was known as Fray's Mill. The name was changed to Advance Mills in 1888 by the U.S. Post Office.

Narrative from Virginia Landmarks Register

"Advance Mills Historic District, once an important milling village, is centered around a dam on the north fork of the Rivanna River. The Fray family, which moved to the area in 1833, built and shaped the community. The family was responsible for the construction of almost all the components of the district. Included in district are some 20 contributing resources including four houses with numerous outbuildings, a general store, the mill site, the dam, and a metal truss bridge. Milling was carried out there from the 1830s until fire destroyed the mill in 1948. In addition to the usual grains, the mill also processed wool and sumac for dyeing cloth. The district is sited in bucolic rolling countryside around the intersection of two country roads and along the banks of the river."

External links

• Nomination form