Kennedy-Wade Mill

Along Otts Creek northeast of Brownsburg, this gristmill rises three stories plus an attic. Its lower two stories are coursed rubble limestone on three sides, and the rest is board-and-batten framing. A Fitz-type overshot iron wheel sits on the long frame side. The stone portion may have been built early in the 19th century by Andrew Kennedy, who acquired the land in 1799. A mill is first mentioned there in 1811. After a fire in 1873 the upper story was added, giving the building its present form. The Wade family bought it in 1882 and installed roller milling machinery early in the 20th century. Equipment from several manufacturers remains in place, and a portion of the iron conduit race survives. The nominated area also holds a miller's house, a tenant house, a garage, a shed, a small pond and the old dam site. The mill is valued as the most complete operable gristmill in Rockbridge County.