Originally constructed in 1742 as a gristmill by Jonathan and Nathaniel Chapman, a father/son partnership from a well-connected colonial family, Beverley Mill is one of the most important historic properties in Prince William County, VA. The mill became a successful business that fostered the development of the Shenandoah Valley as a wheat and corn producing region for the next 100 years. Built on an early colonial road, the mill had quick access to the Port of Alexandria where the flour was shipped abroad. The prosperity of the mill was enhanced in 1852 when the Manassas Gap Railroad was completed, passing beside the mill and reducing the travel time to Alexandria. In 1858, the Chapmans enlarged the mill, raising it to a total of seven stories and making it a model of agricultural technology. After the Civil War, the Beverley family acquired the mill, which had been badly damaged, and by 1876 had restored it to once again be a successful milling operation. Originally known as Chapman’s Mill, it then changed to Beverley Mill, the name
that has carried through and remains today.