Rich in local history, the Aldie Mill Historic Park offers patrons a chance to step into the early 1800s and experience a taste of industrial life and culture from days of yore.

Constructed between 1807-1809, the Gristmill boasts fully functional tandem metal waterwheels and docents demonstrate how grains were (and still are) ground into meal.

In addition to impressive mill demonstrations, visitors can enter the miller’s chamber where former president and local legend James Monroe once marked time while having his grain ground while visiting from his nearby estate.

A brick granary that was constructed between 1809-1816 can also be found on the property and the storehouse still vends products from the mill.

The mill was initially operated by Charles Fenton Mercer, who sold it to Captain John Mercer in 1835, after which, six generations of his descendants ran the mill continuously until it closed in 1971. The mill was restored in October 2010, including the twin overshot wheels, and is once again a fully functional Gristmill. Nowadays, visitors can find the mill fully operational, often grinding grain on weekends in the summertime.