Near Smithfield in Isle of Wight County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Wrenn’s Mill

Photographed by Laura Troy, September 23, 2007

1. Wrenn's Mill Marker

Inscription. Wrenn’s Mill stood south of here on Pagan Creek. A mill powered by water for grinding grain existed there before 1685, when Thomas Green bequeathed it to his wife. The mill was referred to as Little Mill and Green’s Mill before Charles Wrenn obtained it in the 1820s. On 14 April 1864, members of the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteers drove Confederates from their position there, capturing a signal officer and two privates of the 7th Confederate Cavalry. The Union troops then fell back to Fort Boykin. The mill was dismantled by the early 1990s.

Erected 2003 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-240-b.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 14, 1864.

Location. 37° 2.079′ N, 76° 39.834′ W. Marker is near Smithfield, Virginia, in Isle of Wight County. It is at the intersection of Old Stage Highway (Route 10) and Wrenns Mill Road, on the left when traveling

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north on Old Stage Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Smithfield VA 23430, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old Town (approx. 1.6 miles away); Bennett’s Plantation (approx. 2.2 miles away); Basse’s Choice (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Historic James and its Tributaries (approx. 2.4 miles away); Fort Boykin during the Civil War (approx. 2½ miles away); Camp Eustis Attacks Fort Boykin (approx. 2½ miles away); Fort Boykin Memorial (approx. 2½ miles away);

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The Fort's Last Private Owners (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Smithfield.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 4,259 times since then and 188 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on September 23, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.