Hope Park Mill and Miller's House
Also known as: Robey's Mill
Why it's listed
Hope Park Mill is a small, three-story timber-frame grist mill on the west bank of Piney Branch in Fairfax County, Virginia, dated to about 1800. Most of its milling machinery survives, including a pair of 54-inch burr stones, though the water wheel, millrace and sluice are gone. Nearby are a three-story frame miller's house, a log servants' house, a springhouse and a log smokehouse. The mill first served a large plantation and later ground wheat for the neighborhood until the early twentieth century. Under Frank Robey it reached its greatest prosperity, and a store operated in a wing of the building. During the Civil War, Confederate troops occupied the mill as "Post No. 3" in the winter of 1861-1862, leaving legible carvings on the second-floor walls. Its owner, Jack Barnes, served with Mosby's Rangers. The property was listed as one of the last surviving neighborhood mills in the county, with its house and outbuildings enhancing its importance.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the mill as one of the last surviving neighborhood mills in Fairfax County. It served first a large plantation and then the surrounding community until the early twentieth century. Its second floor also holds carvings made by Confederate soldiers who occupied it as "Post No. 3" in the winter of 1861-1862.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77001486, listed August 15, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12124 Pope's Head Rd., Fairfax |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | August 15, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001486 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular (miller's house described as a three-story frame vernacular house) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Privately owned and used as a private residence; the mill's water wheel is missing, though most milling machinery remains and the form describes the owners' hope to restore it. |
| Acreage | 30.1 |
| Coordinates | 38.81179, -77.36670 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77001486.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q27108509
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.