"Friends of the Occoquan Mills"

There have always been friends of the Occoquan Mills and the Town, so we are only announcing the formation of a formal group. This town has been lucky to have residents and landowners that have always believed in the richness of the historical resources that "our" town’s forefathers have created for us.

This incarnation of "friends" was started in March of 1999 when Elijah Hedrick (13) and his father Michael Hedrick were at the ruins of the Merchant’s Mill. They both loved going to the site and reading up on the history of Occoquan and it’s mills. Both were frustrated at the condition of the site and the lack of concern about it’s future.

They decided to get trash bags and clean the site themselves and to educate the rest of the town on the importance of the mill sites. Five bags of trash, glass and debris and a few hours of talking and they had created the "Friends of the Occoquan Mills".

They started by collecting historical data on the town and the mills and created a web site with all their findings. Next they went looking for members and the rest is still to be written.

1734 Occoquan was identified as a town early. There were public warehouses for tobacco, which was then shipped to many foreign ports.

1749 Charles Ewell and John Ballendine established iron furnaces on the Occoquan River in 1755.

1757 A water powered Country Grist Mill operated until 1890.

1758 John Ballendine built Rockledge, his 11 room home overlooking the town. Ballendine, an industrial entrepreneur of his time, is considered the founder of Occoquan.

1759 Merchant's Mill, so called because merchants owned it and came from the local towns and communities, became the second grist mill in Occoquan.

1790 Merchant's Mill became a fully automated grist mill. The grain was completely processed from barge or wagon to the mill and returned to the carrier with the aid of one man. George Washington used this automated operation as a model for the Mount Vernon Grist Mill.

1828 One of the first Cotton mills in Virginia was built. It was four stories high. Both wool and cotton were processed on the 1000 spindles. It was destroyed during the Civil War by the Union Army.

Please come out and help with the work, learn about the site and meet new people!

Date: Saturday, May 29^th

Time: 10:00am

Purpose:

To make the ruins of the Merchant’s Mill more accessible to citizens and visitors and add a safer environment for learning and enjoying our town’s history

Increase the ability of the police to more quickly and safely monitor the site on their regular routine town walking inspections.

Event:

Clean up

Historical Tour of Site

Free Literature

Refreshments/Bake Sale

Project:

Remove Dead Wood and Trash

Trim Trees and Brush

Over Look Safety Barrier (Safety)

Path (Make the site more accessible)

Straw and Seed

Light the Site (Night time safety)

Informational Kiosk

Sponsors:

Friends of the Occoquan Mills

F.C.W.A

Historic Prince William

Prince William County’s

"Centuries of Pride and Progress"

We are always looking for good ideas and help!

Clean and Maintain

• Monitor and Protect the Site
• Collect trash from area on regular schedule.
• Clear away dead wood

• Invite or hire archeological experts to determine what is still left at sites. 
• Work with "Historic Occoquan Inc." to catalog and collect all items of historical importance

• Make a safer path system to see what is left of Mill complex.
• Create information kiosk at points on the path.

• Larger Town Museum area
• Gift shop of "Occoquan Items"
• Historical Research/ Resource area
• Maritime Museum

• Living History "Real Mill" area
• Working Grinding stone
• Sell flour

• Work towards a river access solution

• Park space at Cotton Factory site.

• Sound stage or Community events

"Friends of the Occoquan Mills"?

The group is a "grass-roots" organization that is proud to boast that we are gaining members faster then we can keep up with them.

We are made up of town residents, merchants, some waterfront property owners, a couple of the members of Council, local Police Officers, State Delegate Michele McQuigg, and the Fairfax County Water Authority.

We are always looking for people that have a "can-do" attitude and are ready to have their actions do the talking.

This is a "by the people, for the people" group and will not be political for reasons of being "all inclusive" and free of red tape.

WE NEED YOU TO HELP…PLEASE!

1. Join!
2. Clean-Up Efforts
3. Research the Mills and the Town
4. Write for this Newsletter
5. Fundraising Ideas
6. Tell friends and neighbors