Poplar Grove Mill and House
Also known as: Tide Mill and Poplar Grove
Why it's listed
Poplar Grove is a tide mill and house on Mobjack Bay near Williams, in Mathews County, Virginia. The two-story frame mill with a gable roof sits on a narrow mole separating a small lagoon from the bay. Tidal flow between the two turned a large wheel at the side of the building, and some original machinery survives inside. The mill ground grain until 1912, then deteriorated before a thorough restoration. It replaced an earlier mill burned during the Civil War. The nomination calls it the only remaining tide mill in Virginia, and tradition holds that corn was ground here for Washington's troops. Across the lagoon stands the miller's house, a five-section building. Its earliest part is a small gambrel-roofed cottage probably built for John Patterson before the Revolution. The central section, a late eighteenth-century temple-form block with a later Ionic portico, was built by local builder Richard Billups. Captain Sally Tompkins, a Confederate officer, was born here in 1833.
Significance in brief: The nomination states that a tide mill has stood here since colonial times and that this one is the only such mill remaining in Virginia, operating until 1912. The house served as the millers' residence and has ties to John Patterson, builder Richard Billups, and Captain Sally Tompkins, a Confederate officer born there in 1833.
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 69000259, listed November 12, 1969. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SW of jct. of Rtes. 14 and 613, Williams |
|---|---|
| County | Mathews County |
| Listed | November 12, 1969 |
| Reference number | 69000259 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Richard Billups (central portion of the house, late 18th century); John Patterson (earliest portion built for him) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mill is vacant after a recent thorough restoration; condition rated good; house listed as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 22.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.39867, -76.33160 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 69000259.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713084
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.