Virginia State Seal Virginia Department of Historic Resources

011-0057 Nininger's Mill

Nininger's Mill
Photo credit: David Edwards/DHR, 2022

*Click on image to enlarge.

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 05/20/1980

NRHP Listing Date 07/30/1980

NRHP Reference Number 80004171

When Peter Nininger built this brick mill on Tinker Creek in 1847, he was continuing a milling tradition in Botetourt County that began with the county’s first settlers. Beside the Pittsylvania-Franklin-Botetourt Turnpike, which connected the farmlands of western Virginia with bustling Southside markets, the mill operated for decades as a quasi-public utility, offering one of the rural economy’s most important services. Like most of Virginia’s old gristmills, Nininger’s Mill was forced out of business because of an inability to compete with the modern milling complexes. The mill was converted to a restaurant in 1968, but some of the original machinery was preserved. The structure went on to serve as a private residence. A late-19th century overshot metal wheel remains in place on the north wall of Nininger’s Mill.


Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark


Updated: May 23, 2022