An historic mill on the
farm where Cyrus McCormick
was born and a working
farm with an operational
grist mill make a dandy
country duo.
Walnut Grove Farm, while
not widely known, is
picturesque, educational
and historical. The oak
log grist mill, built in
1778, stands beside the
blacksmith shop where in
1831 Cyrus McCormick
designed and built the
first successful
horse-drawn mechanical
reaper.
Twenty-two-year-old Cyrus
worked with his father,
Robert, who was also an
inventor and tinkerer.
They tested the reaper in
John Steele's neighboring
grain field. It was a
two-man operation. Jim
Hite drove the horse and
Jon Anderson raked the
grain. In half a day they
had reaped six acres of
oats, or as much as five
men with scythes could
harvest in a day. Despite
such a demonstration,
there were no buyers when
Cyrus offered his marvel
for sale at $50.
The following season the
McCormicks harvested their
own 50 acres with the new
reaper. Gradually buyers
were found. Between 1831
and 1846 when Cyrus left
Walnut Grove at age 36, he
built and sold 100 reapers
and the price doubled to
$100. The American
Agricultural Revolution
started slowly, but,
unquestionably, this
out-of-the-way Virginia
McCormick Farm (now
named for its famous
native-son) was its
birthplace.
In the
blacksmith workshop, which
was the only "factory"
McCormick had during the
1830s, you'll see an anvil
he used to build the first
reaper. A working
reproduction of the reaper
has the place of honor
among the numerous
McCormick farm inventions
displayed in the museum
above the shop.
As part of the nation's
bicentennial this old
reaper was operated for a
BBC program. Getting it
out of the museum was like
trying to take a ship from
a bottle. It had to be
disassembled to get it
through the door and then
rebuilt. This was not the
end of the problems---a
young horse harnessed to
the noisy reaper bolted
and ran it into a fence.
Finally an old workhorse
pulled it into the field
for the film. The TV crew
might better have used the
models; the details are so
exact on these
scale-models they look
full-size when
photographed outdoors.
You'll see models of the
reaper and binder, as well
as the combined reaper and
mower.
The
McCormick homestead, built
in 1821, now serves as
headquarters for the
Virginia Polytechnic
Institute's Shenandoah
Valley Research Station.
Visitors are welcome to
explore the sheep barns
and other livestock
areas. There is also a
picnic area and restrooms
in the old slave
quarters. The farm is
open daily 8:00 A.M. to
5:00 P.M. at no charge.
Located just a half-mile
off I-81, it's a great
place for an interstate
break.
Down the road 4 ˝ miles is
Wade’s Mill, listed
on the National Register
of Historic Places.
Captain Joseph Kennedy,
who built two of the
earliest mills in
Rockbridge County, built
this mill in 1750. In
1882, James F. Wade
purchased the mill and it
was operated by his family
for four generations. A
major historic renovation
has returned the interior
and mill workings to their
appearance in the late
1880s. Power for the mill
is supplied by a 21-foot
water wheel fed by a
nearby stream. The
old-fashioned method of
water-powered stone
grinding uses stone burrs
to slowly crush and grind
the entire wheat kernel
into flour, producing what
many purists believe is a
better tasting, more
nutritious flour.
Wade's Mill produces a
wide variety of flours
with no bleaches,
additives, preservatives
or chemicals. The flours
include wholewheat,
buckwheat, cornmeal,
cracked wheat, natural
white and a buckwheat
pancake mix. They also
offer gift boxes with a
variety of their
products. These can be
purchased in shops in
Virginia, in D.C. Safeways
or by mail. Write Wade's
Mill, Inc., Route 1, P.O.
Box 475, Raphine, VA
24472. You can stop by
the mill Thursday through
Saturday from 9:00 A.M. to
5:00 P.M., April though
mid-December.
Also in Raphine is
Buffalo Springs Herb Farm,
an 18th-century farmstead
with a variety of theme
gardens, a plant house
stocked with herb plants and
nature trails. The oldest
section of the stone and
brick house dates back to
1793. In a barn beside a
rushing creek you can
purchase dried flowers,
herbal products, garden
books and participate in a
wide array of programs and
workshops. For a current
schedule call (540)
348-1083. The farm is open
April through mid-December
Wednesday through Saturday
from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
and Sundays in April and May
and September through
mid-December from 1:00 to
5:00 P.M.
Directions:
From I-95 in the Richmond
area, take I-64 west to
Charlottesville. From
Charlottesville take the
scenic Blue Ridge Parkway
south. Exit the parkway at
milepost 27.2 on Virginia
Route 56 to Steele's Tavern.
At Steele's Tavern go south on
Route 11 for about 100 yards
and turn right on Route 606 to
McCormick Farm. For Wade's
Mill take Route 606 four miles
past I-81. The mill will be
on the right as indicated by
the sign on Route 606. Just
past the turn for Wade’s Mill
on the right on Route 606 is
Buffalo Springs Herb Farm. Or
from I-81 take exit 205
(Raphine/Steele’s Tavern) and
go west on Route 606 for Wad