Under overcast skies with cool temperatures, it was a good day to check out the Blue Ridge Parkway from Floyd south to Mabry Mill. There were autumn colors but still lots of green, and a good number of bare trees that have already lost their leaves.
Unfortunately I had my Nikon on the wrong setting, making the colors subdued and bland. I was able to save a few, enough to get the idea of how beautiful it was in Virginia’s Blue Ride Mountains.
Mabry Mill is a watermill located at milepost 176.2 of Blue Ridge Parkway. The historic structure includes a trail with exhibit demonstrations of rural life in the Virginia mountains at the turn of the 20th century.
From the website: “Mabry Mill is one of the most photographed sites on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Several hundred thousand travelers visit the Mill each year, a turn of events Ed Mabry probably could not have predicted when he built the Mill more than a century ago.
“Around 1905 Ed and his wife Lizzie Mabry set in motion actions to realize the dream of their own gristmill. With the help of a neighbor, Newton Hylton, they built the gristmill, waterwheel, and water supply flume system with hard work and hand tools.
“By 1908 the gristmill was in operation and people from as far away as eight miles were bringing their corn to be ground. Also by this time Ed Mabry was ready to move on to his next project which was to build a sawmill on the left side of the gristmill. While Ed was busy building the sawmill, Lizzie took over the milling duties at the gristmill. Many said Lizzie was the better miller of the two.
“There was a problem though. Because the streams used to supply water to the mills were small, there was not enough needed water power. Due to the lack of water power, the process of grinding the corn at the Mabrys’ mill took longer than at some of the other nearby mills. Mills with plenty of water power would at times grind too fast. The resulting friction turned to heat which would then burn and scorch the corn meal leaving it tasting bitter.
“Because of the low water power problem at the Mabrys’ mill, it was known as a slow grinder. Due to this problem the Mabrys could not grind the corn fast, but they also never burned or scorched the corn meal which resulted in some of the best tasting corn meal around. This news spread fast which brought many loyal customers to the Mabrys’ little mill.
“Soon the sawmill was finished and Ed began to build a woodworking shop on the right side of the grist mill. This shop had a double-bladed jigsaw, a wood lathe and a tongue and groover all run by the water-powered waterwheel. This completed the gristmill complex with the sawmill, gristmill and woodworking shop all attached.
“For convenience sake, the Mabrys now decided to build a new blacksmith/wheelwright shop beside the gristmill complex. This was around 1913-1914. Later, after many years of hard work building up their business at the mill site, Ed and Lizzie decided to build a new house for themselves. Sometime around 1918-1920 the Mabrys built by their own hands and skill a two-story white farmhouse. The approximate site of that house is where the Matthews’ cabin is located at Mabry Mill today.
“The National Park Service acquired the Mabry Mill property in 1938 after Ed died and Lizzie moved away. The gristmill complex and the blacksmith/wheelwright shop were deemed historically significant by the Park Service as representing the rich cultural past of the Blue Ridge Mountain region.
“In 1942 those structures were completely restored, giving the Blue Ridge Parkway yet another gem along its beautiful winding 469 miles through the heart of Appalachia. Every year Mabry Mill, the legacy which Ed and Lizzie left us, is visited by people from all over the world.” –Michael Ryan, author, “Ed and Lizzie, the Mabrys and Their Mill”
Vintage water fountain at Rocky Knob Recreation Area
Rocky Knob at Milepost 167 is a vintage area of the BRP with a picnic area, campground, visitor center, tables, a shelter, backcountry camping, and lots of hiking trails. The topography of the area features vertical rocks protruding out of the ground.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Buffalo Mountain, a landmark that can be seen for miles around, anchors the Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve is a 1,140-acre Natural Area Preserve in Floyd County.
As we celebrate cooler days and autumn colors, it’s a little startling to realize two months from today will be Christmas Day. It’s hard to believe a week from today will be November. Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the remaining color of fall leaves before cold rains strip them from the trees.
It’s autumn in western Virginia.
Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
LynnRMitchell.com 