About Us

Woodson’s Mill has been owned and loved by a small handful of families since its construction in 1794, when Guiliford Campbell built the original four-story, 32 foot square building. The Fulchers improved it in the 1840’s, adding the two runs (mill stones), which are still in use today. Sixty-some years later, Dr. Julian B. Woodson expanded the mill into a thriving enterprise that included an icehouse, sawmill, and foundry while maintaining his duties as a medical doctor and State Senator. The rise of large industrial mills in the growing post-war America, along with Dr. Woodson’s death in 1963, brought a temporary end to the mill business. But, Huron T. Campbell, who owned the mill while it was not in operation, refused to sell any of the equipment or machinery in hope that someone would eventually be able to restore it. J. Gill Brockenbrough, Jr., who purchased Woodson’s Mill in the early 1980’s, did restore it and lived there until his death in 2001. All these people were passionate about Woodson’s Mill, and so are we.

The Woodson’s Mill Family Today

Will Brockenbrough

Will has spent much of his life at Woodson’s Mill. His father, the late J. Gill Brockenbrough, Jr., purchased the property in the early 1980’s and subsequently set about a massive restoration effort. Woodson’s Mill served as the backdrop of Will’s childhood and formed much of his appreciation for history, architecture, and historic preservation. When Will and his wife, Sarah, moved to Virginia, Will took advantage of the opportunity to re-open Woodson’s Mill. He spends his time improving the Mill and spreading the good word about Woodson’s Mill flours and meals.

Steve Roberts

Steve, a native of Nelson County, hails from the nearby community of Massies Mill. Steve’s first trip to Woodson’s Mill was at age eight, and he has been coming back, ever since. Will’s father, Gill, hired Steve to paint the roof of the Mill when he was in his early thirties. That project began a close working relationship.  Eventually, Steve was made personally responsible for conducting and overseeing the restoration of Woodson’s Mill. Steve became the Head Miller of Woodson’s Mill in 1986, only the second person to hold the title in the 20th Century. Steve returned to Woodson’s Mill in 2012 to help Will re-open the business. He oversees all the stages of production for our fine flours and meals, constantly refining them so that they get even better.

David Woodson, Jr.

As the grandson of Dr. Julian Belmont Woodson, David’s long association with the Mill serves as a tangible link that ties the last 100 years at Woodson’s Mill together.  A native of Richmond, David spent summers, and every other available time, at his grandfather’s farm in the country – Woodson’s Mill.  Growing up as a boy around Dr. Woodson and the miller, Ed Willis, David absorbed more than just the atmosphere; but a lifetime of stories of the Mill in the mid-twentieth century.  Upon retirement, David moved “home” to neighboring Amherst County.  As the Mill’s ambassador, David can be found most days around the Mill re-living his childhood.  Come visit and he will tell you all about it.