The Tale Of Tingler's Mill

The Tale Of Tingler's Mill. . , Tingler's Mill has a long and varied history. As a present day fixture of Paint Bank, its presence makes a grant statement about revitalization and historic preservation. In the past, however, it was an important element of everyday life in the town of Paint Bank, Virginia, serving area farmers and residents as a source for grain and flour by gringing corn and wheat., The grist mill sits on Potts Creek, on property originally owned by Revolutionary War hero Colonel William Preson. Preston was given the land grants in 1780 for his service in the war. Through Preseton's children, the property was passed to John H. Peyton, Preston's granddaughter's husband, in 1816., While the unincorporated town was officially formed in 1851, the mill building itself was not built until 1863. Henry Tingler began a small water powered operation to process corn, wheat, and oats for local farmers. During the Civil War, Tingler was drafted into service by the Confederacy, but managed to return home by proclaiming that his services as a miller were more valuable than his services as asoldier. A Union sympathizer, after his returned home, he not only supplied food to the people in the area, but also gun powder to the fighting forces., Tingler's daughter Molly married W.H. (Harve) Humphreys, who lived in a house near the present day general store and worked the mill with Tingler. According to Humphrey's grandson, Watson Smith of New Castle, Humphreys wanted to keep the business in the family, and expanded it to making flour. Tingler could not read or write, so Humphreys provided the driving force behind the renovation. In 1897, Humphreys borrowed $10,000 and reworked the mechanics of the mill, tearing down the original building and starting over., The building which stands today most likely is that second building, erected over the old foundation in 1897., Humphreys bequeathed the mill to his son, John Henry Humphreys, who operated the mill until 1952, when he sold it to Roy S. and Coral May Morse. Roy Morse sold the mill to David E. and Marcia Harrison a little over a decade later in 1967. By this time, local residents say government regulations on the mill had become so strict that operating it was no longer cost-effective., From 1897 to 1971, the mill was known as Humphrey's Mill. In 1971, when the Harrisons sold the mill to A.J. and Dorothy W. Tingler, the mill became know as Tingelr's Mill. The Tinglers kept the mill in the family until 1993, when it was sold to Jonathan F. Fitzgerald with the stipulation that the mill continue to be called "Tingler's Mill". Fitzgerald sold the property to the Mulheren family, the present owners., In 2004 the mill pond was revitalized and is now stocked with trout. Recently the entire exterior of the mill was restored, a new race was constructed and the big mill is once again turning. Restoration of the inside of the building is on-going as the present owner continues to bring the mill back to its former beauty and function. In the future, they hope to be able to have demonstrations of the complete milling process, from kernel to flour.