March 9, 2015 / Joanne Yeck

Curdsville Mill

african american, buckingham county, mills

An undated clipping titled, “Curdsville Mill At Least a Century Old,” written by Jim Berry, featured the photo above of John Washington. Berry wrote:

Anyone around the Curdsville area can tell you how to get to the Curdsville Mill, one of the oldest structures in Buckingham County, and most people can tell you something of its history. But one thing no one there agrees on is just how old the mill is, except John Washington.

John, a spry 85-year-old Negro farmer, who lives near the mill can rattle off the history of the sturdy brick structure with an air of almost absolute surety.

According to Washington, construction on the mill was begun in 1820 at the order of W. E. Gannaway, the first owner. It was finished five years later in 1825. Washington says his grandfather, a carpenter, helped build the interior of the mill during those five years.

To be continued….