Grimes Mill (Salisbury, North Carolina) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Grimes Mill
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Grimes Mill in April, 2012
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 600 N. Church St., Salisbury, North Carolina |
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| Built | 1896 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire style Victorian roller mill |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002492 |
| Added to NRHP | February 6, 1984 |
Grimes Mill was a special building in Salisbury, North Carolina. It was built way back in 1896. This mill made flour and animal feed for many years. It worked until 1982. Later, it became a museum where people could learn about old mills. Grimes Mill was even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, a big fire destroyed it on January 16, 2013.
Contents
The Story of Grimes Mill
How the Mill Started
The mill first opened in 1896. It was called the North Side Roller Mill. A group of business people in Salisbury built it. They wanted to make flour and compete with another mill in town.
In its first year, the mill was very busy. It could make 50 barrels of flour every day! A barrel of flour is a lot, so this mill was important.
The Grimes Family Takes Over
In 1898, the mill was sold to a new company. But that company had problems and went out of business in 1906.
Then, a man named John D. Grimes bought the mill. He was a businessman from Davidson County. Mr. Grimes already knew a lot about mills. He had started North Carolina's very first roller mill in Lexington in 1879.
When John D. Grimes bought the mill, it had grown bigger. It started with three floors, but by then it had two more added floors.
Growing Bigger and Busier
The Grimes family owned the mill until 1963. During these years, the mill kept getting larger. A big addition happened in 1912.
They added twelve huge storage bins. These bins could hold 90,000 pounds of wheat! That's like a whole lot of grain.
The mill was busiest in the 1930s. It made up to 100 barrels of flour every single day.
New Owners and a New Purpose
In 1963, the W. A. Davis Milling Company took over. John D. Grimes' grandson sold the mill to Robert Davis.
Mr. Davis added a store to the building. The Davis Milling Company made flour, grains, and even food for pigeons. Towards the end, only two people worked at the mill. It mostly made flour to be used as a glue extender.
Becoming a Museum
In 1982, a group called the Historic Salisbury Foundation bought the mill. They wanted to save old buildings. They paid $60,000 for it.
The next year, in 1983, they opened the mill as a museum. It was only the second historic site the foundation had turned into a museum.
On February 6, 1984, Grimes Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It became the only roller mill museum in North Carolina.
The 2013 Fire
On January 16, 2013, a terrible fire started at the mill. People called 911 around 9:40 at night. Many fire trucks came from different towns to help.
The fire was so big it kept burning into the next day. Firefighters couldn't even go inside for several days. The mill had alarms, but it didn't have a sprinkler system to put out fires.
After the fire, the Historic Salisbury Foundation sold bricks from the mill. This helped them raise money to clean up the site. Today, the only other roller mill still standing in Rowan County is the China Grove Roller Mill.
Building Design
The original Grimes Mill building was three stories tall. It was built in a style called Second Empire style. This was a popular style during the Victorian times.
It was a brick building with special granite trim. It was one of the few industrial buildings in North Carolina built in this fancy style.
