Woodson`s Mill Documentary - Millstone Dressing, Gearing,Bucket Elevator

Woodson`s Mill Documentary - Millstone Dressing, Gearing,Bucket Elevator

Woodson`s Mill was built in 1794 and reconstructed in 1845. I produced a documentary of this mill at Lowesville, Va when it was still a working mill. Gil Brockenborough (deceased) was then the owner. The mill produced corn meal which was widely marketed including to Boar`s Head Inn , Charlottesville, VA.. Mill has been closed for some time. I Used Hi8 video tape which has held up very well I think for 20 year old technology. This clip from the documentary shows Joe Mays, the miller, demonstrating "stone dressing" with Gil narrating. A lot of fun and interesting work researching this documentary. The mill was productive and Gil, a great eco man , greatly enjoyed using water as a power source. All power for the mill machinery and electricity generators came from the mill wheel and associated gearing. Some of the engineering features originated with Oliver Evans, a pioneer in milling methods. The documentary runs for 18 minutes and walks the viewer through the entire milling process and includes views of the persimmon wood gearing and the Evans bucket elevator.Great for demonstrating the use of water power and early manufacturing techniques.. The complete documentary is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfElza8Bolw