Advance Mills
National Register of Historic Places

Advance Mills

Advance Mills, Albemarle County, Virginia
Listed
April 11, 2002
Type
District
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
02000362

About this property

Advance Mills, also known as Fray's Mill, is an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States. It is a historic mill village dating from 1810. The community was built by the Fray family, who moved there in 1833. A historic district including its area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The community first became known as "Advance Mills" in 1888, and the traditional story is that the name was coined by John Fray "who claimed that people frequently commented upon all the advances being made there." The National Register-listed area is 85 acres (34 ha) and included 18 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites and 3 contributing structures. At listing date, the district included a bridge, a dam, a millrace, and four houses. The site of the mill and the site of a general store remain; the mill itself and the supply store were destroyed by fire in the 1940s. Advance Mills Supply building site, lying below what is now the Advance Mills Store J. M. Fray House, the best-preserved house in the district, c. 1810 the Gaines Fray House (II), from 1921, an American Four Square, just south of the store on west side of 743 Bank Barn, 1/4 mile west of Rivanna River crossing

Location

Advance Mills, Albemarle County, Virginia
38.18286, -78.44075

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMERCEINDUSTRYTRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

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Longwood
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3.4 mi
Locust Grove
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Questions about this property

When was Advance Mills listed on the National Register?

Advance Mills was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 2002.

What type of historic resource is Advance Mills?

Advance Mills is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Advance Mills?

The period of significance for Advance Mills is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1810.

Can I research the history near Advance Mills?

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