Priest Mill is a historic

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and early electric

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

located near

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Pendleton County, West Virginia Pendleton County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,143, making it the second-least populous county in West Virginia. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created by the V ...

. It was built in 1900, with an addition built in 1916 to house a generator and hydro-electric power plant. Electric power was generated at the mill starting in 1911, and in 1913, the Priest's home became the first in Pendleton County to have electric lights. It replaced a mill that was destroyed by fire in 1899. It is a three-story, "T"-shaped, unadorned wooden structure. Originally covered with wood shingles, the roof was later replaced with metal. The mill race measures 988 feet from the headgates at the dam to the entrance under the mill. It operated as a wool carding mill until the 1950s, and reopened in the 1980s. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2000.

References

Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Industrial buildings completed in 1900 Buildings and structures in Pendleton County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Pendleton County, West Virginia Sawmills in the United States {{PendletonCountyWV-geo-stub