Garst/Kesler Mill

Garst/Kesler Mill (HM9TR)

Location: Salem, VA 24153
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 18.758', W 80° 2.002'

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Inscription

Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail

At this location in 1842, John Garst purchased 130 acres of fine land on Mason's Creek. John was born in 1796, and was the son of Frederick Garst. Frederick is buried on a nearby knoll.John Garst built a dam across the creek, and in 1845 he completed his mill. It was situated on the west bank between a wagon road (now Kesler Mill Road) and the stream. Farmers brought their wheat and corn to be ground into flour, meal and feed for livestock between the mill's burrstones. Flour and meal were staples in the diet of the early settlers, and mills were common in most rural communities. The mill functioned as a social center where neighbors awaited their meal and flour engaged in conversation, and the mill pond provided an ideal place for swimming in the summer months and skating in the winter.The mill on Mason's Creek remained in operation until 1922, and during the years was known variously as Garst Mill, Salem Roller Mills, and Kesler Mill. In 1906, O. D. Kesler and H. H. Sides purchased one-half interest in the mill, ever since that time, it has been known as Kesler Mill.
Details
HM NumberHM9TR
Tags
Year Placed1999
Placed ByCounty of Roanoke, the City of Salem, and the Hanging Rock Battlefield and Railway Preservation Foundation
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 15th, 2014 at 11:35pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 585654 N 4129992
Decimal Degrees37.31263333, -80.03336667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 18.758', W 80° 2.002'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 18' 45.48" N, 80° 2' 0.12" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1504-1508 Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail, Salem VA 24153, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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