The Old Arlington Mill: The Story of a Missing Landmark in Arlington County, Virginia (Vol. I, the Barcroft Era)
Nonfiction, History, Americas
| Author: | Beth DeFrancis Sun | ISBN: | 9781311457813 |
| Publisher: | Beth DeFrancis Sun | Publication: | June 8, 2014 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
| Author: | Beth DeFrancis Sun |
| ISBN: | 9781311457813 |
| Publisher: | Beth DeFrancis Sun |
| Publication: | June 8, 2014 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
| Language: | English |
The Old Arlington Mill is an important story to preserve given that nearly all traces of the mill have disappeared over time. Apart from the remaining foundation and the name itself—"Arlington Mill"—nearly all remnants of the mill's illustrious past have remained hidden from view... until now. Who built the first mill and how? Were the rumors true that George Washington himself had built an earlier mill on the same foundation? This part of the book will surprise most readers.
While no single event at the old Arlington mill dramatically changed the course of history, the combination of occurrences that took place at the mill make for an intriguing tale. The story stretches back from our founding father's business ventures, to slavery in America, to the Civil War, patent law, and prohibition.
Not only was the Arlington Mill once owned and operated by one of the most prominent families in U.S. history—the George Washington Parke Custis clan—but a little known yet significant conflict took place on the premises during the first days of the Civil War. Before the War Between the States was over, the gristmill and surrounding property—then owned by Mary Custis Lee and under the management of her husband Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia—would be auctioned off at a public sale for alleged nonpayment of $46.79 in federal taxes. That action by the U.S. government would set the gears in motion for a lengthy legal battle that would ultimately end in the Supreme Court arena.
The story unfolds in three volumes, beginning with the Barcroft era. Volume II tells of the George Washington Parke Custis and Robert E. Lee era, while Volume III conveys the story of the mill's earliest and nearly forgotten past. The latter reads like a work of fiction, since many of the key players could neither read nor write, and the oral telling of the tale ceased over time.
Unlike many historical accounts, this story begins at the end—with the final destruction of the old Arlington mill—and then winds backwards through the Barcroft era, the Custis-Lee period, the Civil War, the building of the first mill structure, and the conveyance of the property. With the churn of each chapter, another layer of history emerges.
The Old Arlington Mill is an important story to preserve given that nearly all traces of the mill have disappeared over time. Apart from the remaining foundation and the name itself—"Arlington Mill"—nearly all remnants of the mill's illustrious past have remained hidden from view... until now. Who built the first mill and how? Were the rumors true that George Washington himself had built an earlier mill on the same foundation? This part of the book will surprise most readers.
While no single event at the old Arlington mill dramatically changed the course of history, the combination of occurrences that took place at the mill make for an intriguing tale. The story stretches back from our founding father's business ventures, to slavery in America, to the Civil War, patent law, and prohibition.
Not only was the Arlington Mill once owned and operated by one of the most prominent families in U.S. history—the George Washington Parke Custis clan—but a little known yet significant conflict took place on the premises during the first days of the Civil War. Before the War Between the States was over, the gristmill and surrounding property—then owned by Mary Custis Lee and under the management of her husband Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia—would be auctioned off at a public sale for alleged nonpayment of $46.79 in federal taxes. That action by the U.S. government would set the gears in motion for a lengthy legal battle that would ultimately end in the Supreme Court arena.
The story unfolds in three volumes, beginning with the Barcroft era. Volume II tells of the George Washington Parke Custis and Robert E. Lee era, while Volume III conveys the story of the mill's earliest and nearly forgotten past. The latter reads like a work of fiction, since many of the key players could neither read nor write, and the oral telling of the tale ceased over time.
Unlike many historical accounts, this story begins at the end—with the final destruction of the old Arlington mill—and then winds backwards through the Barcroft era, the Custis-Lee period, the Civil War, the building of the first mill structure, and the conveyance of the property. With the churn of each chapter, another layer of history emerges.
