1. SUBJECT:
Hopkins Mill.
Chrisman, Virginia, nine miles northwest of Harrisonburg, Virginia on Singers Glen Road.
3. DATE:
About 1763.
Was built by Abraham Hopkins in 1763 and was sold by his heirs to Major Chrisman about 1822. It was next resold to Hisham Burtner in 1900 and resold to present owner J.W. Stultz in 1931.
See form #3686, attached.
English immigrants who constitute a very small minority of pioneer settlers came through the Blue Ridge Passes and established homes along the Shenandoah River. Their descendants today can be recognized by their easy English accent in conversation and the majority of our first inhabitants came later with the German migration following the close of the French and Indian War.
These pioneers followed Linville Creek and North Mountain Valleys to their sources and southward until they met the English and Scotch settlers in Augusta County. The first work of these settlers was to erect mills for grinding grain.
Vulcans were plentiful in the early days and blacksmith shops were located only a few miles apart.
Another early colonial industry that has gone into discard is a long list of "Still Houses" located along this historic old Mountain Road. A good spring of water was the Nucleus around which grew large estates. Many of them being grants or patents from King George II and early Colonial Governors. The following named persons were among the early land owners. Baxter, Driver, Bear, Frank, Funk, Hinton, Beery, Andos, Campbell, Lilly, Neff, Ermine, Paul, Warren, Long, Swank and others. Most of these were German with a few English and Scotch.
In our research we have found only one French settler in this area, Mr. Suter who was founder of the Suter Estate on Cook’s Creek now owned by his descendents. In the majority of homes the German language was used and church services were conducted in Dutch. Due to this fact the three Dutch Churches, Dunkards, and United Brethren became the largest religious bodies in West Rockingham.
The large estates were owned by gentlemen of leisure and were operated by slave labor under an overseer, but the major parts of the land was operated by its thrifty German owners.
Each colonial home was an absolutely independent unit in civic life as the owner produced everything, food, heat, light and clothing on his own plantation.
This was one of the first mills and it ground the grain for these early settlers.
Hopkins Mill
Page 2
Photograph
Informant: Mr. W. O. Mowbray, old teacher and historian, Singers Glenn, Virginia.
Rockingham County Court Records, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
March 10, 1937 Miles E. Snyder
Harrisonburg, VA