Near Floyd in Floyd County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Rakes Mill Pond

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023

1. Rakes Mill Pond Marker

Inscription. The stone facing of the nearby mill dam was built early in the 19th century by one Jarman Rakes, miller. His operation was notable for a scheme of advertising that would credit a much later day. Rakes we are told allowed his customers the sole privilege of fishing for brook trout in his pond while they waited for their grist.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 36° 51.955′ N, 80° 17.089′ W. Marker is near Floyd, Virginia, in Floyd County. Marker is on Blue Ridge Parkway (at milepost 162.4), ¼ mile south of Buffalo Lane Southeast (Virginia Route 714), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Floyd VA 24091, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Former Site of an African-American School (approx. 3½ miles away); Nannie Harmon Howard House (approx. 3.6 miles away); Jacksonville Presbyterian Church (approx. 3.6 miles away); Floyd County War Memorial (approx. 3.7 miles away); Floyd (approx. 3.7 miles away); Floyd County Civil War Memorial

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(approx. 3.7 miles away); Albert Tappe Howard’s Milk House (approx. 3.8 miles away); Buffalo Mountain (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Floyd.

Regarding Rakes Mill Pond. Excerpt from The Water-Powered Mills of Floyd County, Virginia: Illustrated Histories, 1770-2010 by Franklin F. Webb and Ricky L. Cox (2014):

“The facts that the mill still standing here when the land was deeded to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1937 probably was not built before 1859, and that Rakes did not own it until 1868, don’t necessarily rule out that possibility, since the dam could predate the mill. But the German Rakes whose name the mill and mill pond were known was born either in 1828 (calculated based on 1860 census) or 1825 (based on 1870 census) and is unlikely to have built anything of much consequence before 1845 at the very earliest. Hence, either the sign is incorrect, or a different German or Jarman Rakes built the dam.”

Also see . . .
1. Rakes Mill Pond on Blue Ridge Parkway Floyd County Virginia. Video of the dam and pond. (Nature Girl Earth Mama, uploaded Aug. 26, 2020) (Submitted on July 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023

2. Rakes Mill Pond Marker

2. Blue Ridge Parkway travel film. Promotional stock footage filmed along the scenic road in the 1950s includes this marker. (Periscope Film LLC via The Internet Archive, uploaded Sept. 9, 2020) (Submitted on July 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Rakes Mill Pond image. Click for full size.

Donnie Nunley via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0), October 18, 2013

3. Rakes Mill Pond

Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 105 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.