{"nrhp_refnum":"09000063","name":"Piedmont Mill Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"1709 Alean Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boones Mill","county":"Franklin (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.09567132800004,"lon":-79.85466980299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-02-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural mill complex along Maggodee Creek near Boones Mill in Franklin County, Virginia, centered on a three-story frame corn and flour mill built around 1866. It also includes two miller's dwellings, a dam, a mill race, outbuildings and a 1929 steel pony truss bridge.","why_significant":"The mill was the highest-powered water-driven mill in Franklin County in 1870 and later served as a rural milling center under the Clements family until it closed in 1963. The 1929 bridge is an example of Virginia State Highway Commission standardized metal truss plans. The mill, houses and bridge also embody the construction methods and materials of their periods.","narrative":"Along Maggodee Creek in northern Franklin County, Virginia, a small group of mill-related buildings and structures preserves the working landscape of a rural milling community. The main building is a three-story weatherboarded frame mill built about 1866 by Albert G. Martin. Its overshot waterwheel, millstones and roller equipment remain in place. In 1870 it was the highest-powered water-driven mill in the county, generating 45 horsepower. Benjamin Clements bought the property in 1923, and his family rebuilt the dam in 1936 and ran the mill until it closed in 1963. Nearby are a mill race, a concrete dam, two miller's houses (one once housing a general store, post office and dentist's office), stone retaining walls and outbuildings. A one-lane steel pony truss bridge built in 1929 by Roanoke Iron and Bridge Works carries Alean Road across the creek. The mill and houses are now largely unused, and the bridge has been closed to traffic since 2005.","period_of_significance":"c.1866 - 1963","architect_builder":"Unknown (the bridge was fabricated by Roanoke Iron and Bridge Works in 1929; the mill was built by Albert G. Martin)","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The mill is not in use except for storage and is in fair condition, structurally sound but slowly deteriorating. Both miller's houses are vacant and in poor condition. The bridge was closed to traffic in 2005 after being rated in serious condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.65082-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/6807/41680758/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/09000063.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000063/abcc551afb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000063/abcc551afb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piedmont_Mill_and_surroundings.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piedmont_Mill_and_surroundings.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680758","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Mill_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14713064"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/franklin/piedmont-mill-historic-district-09000063/"}