The West Virginia Historic Preservation Office is awarding 21 grants, totaling more than $400,000, to help rebuild and restore historic sites across the state. One of the projects includes a grant to help make repairs to one of the last remaining operational gristmills in the state.
Reed’s Mill in Monroe County was built over 200 years ago. Today, the mill’s owner Larry Mustain is in his 80s. He still grinds cornmeal, buckwheat and flour. In 2017, Monroe County resident Steve Dransfield told West Virginia Public Broadcasting he’d love to see the mill restored.
Two years later, the mill is getting a little facelift. $8,500 is being awarded to help make repairs to the mill pond and the dam, which once helped power the mill.
The grant is one of 21 projects across the state. Others include a new roof for a historic springs hotel, also in Monroe County, a log cabin museum in Parkersburg, and a historic hotel building in Bramwell, in Mercer County.
To apply for a historic preservation grant, a person or organization must own a property listed in the National Register of Historic Places, or be located in a National Register Historic District.