Hartman’s Milling Company
This post is a plea for information - to see if anyone knows historic details about the Albemarle Roller Mill (used by the Hartman Mill), located on a tributary of Moore’s Creek. The mill was used to process either lumber or flour. Today the site is located somewhere near Hartman’s Mill Road (between Ridge and Avon St). The drawing at the right comes from the 1907 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map and the complete image includes about half-a-dozen associated outbuilding. The Scottsville Road indicated on the map is probably located near today’s Avon Street which once connected to it.
The 1875 Peyton map illustrates Hartman’s Mill at a horseshoe bend in Moore’s Creek, one mile southwest of the courthouse. Old mills needed a source of power - the mill race, powered by gravity. Hartman’s Mill ran at 100 revolutions per minute, using water from a tributary of Moore’s Creek. The “head race” (labelled here “Mill Race”) carried water from the dam to the mill site. The water wheel (at the mill) produced electricity. The “tail race” returned the water to the stream. The site would have also included millstones (circular features that were used to grind flours). Most mills also included the home of the miller.
If anyone knows the location of the mill or has any additional historic documentation about it, please post a comment.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 am
The mill site is located at the end of what is now Avon Court off Avon Street Extended. Long before Avon Street was “extended” the Scottsville road followed 6th Street SE, then crossed Moore’s Creek into Albemarle County, floowing a now abandoned section of road it would around a hill connecting with present day Avon Court. The mill was located along the abandoned section of road.
January 7th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Roller mills were reserved for the milling of grains. Rolling is a later technology and most mills that endure switched from grindstones to rollers at some point. The advantage was that the rolling process (a series of steel rollers) could reliably produce a desired fineness of grist across a number of different cereals. Since it was designated “roller mill” it’s likely that the stones had been replaced by the time the Sanborn Map was published.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Thanks, Steven, for the info. My friend and I explored Avon Court to see the road and discovered the most extensive collection of antique cars we’d ever seen. Were discouraged by potential of dogs and ticks, so will be back in the winter.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Close to the site of Hartman’s Mill is the small neighborhood of Early Street, in southwest Belmont. I have made a few unsucessful attempt to discover more about the houses and when they were built. As luck would have it, they were built just outside the city limits at the time and there are few records, except a title chain. If anyone has any leads, I would appreciate it!