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 an important flour and feed mill in Salisbury, North Carolina. It was built in 1896 and made flour and animal feed for many years. The mill was active until 1982. Later, a group called the Historic Salisbury Foundation bought it. They turned the old mill into a museum. Grimes Mill was special because it was the only roller mill museum in North Carolina. It was even added to the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, a big fire destroyed the mill on January 16, 2013.
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History of Grimes Mill
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 compete with another mill in town. In its first year, the mill made 50 barrels of flour every day. That's a lot of flour!
In 1898, the mill was sold to a new company. But this company went out of business in 1906. A man named John D. Grimes then bought the mill for $4,000. He was a businessman from Davidson County, North Carolina. Mr. Grimes had started the first roller mill in North Carolina back in 1879. When he bought the mill, it had grown from three floors to five floors.
Grimes Family Ownership
The Grimes family owned the mill until 1963. During this time, the mill got even bigger. A large addition was built in 1912. This addition included 12 big storage bins. These bins could hold 90,000 pounds of wheat. The mill was busiest in the 1930s. It made a record 100 barrels of flour each day.
Later Owners and Museum
In 1963, the W. A. Davis Milling Company took over. They were from High Point, North Carolina. Robert Davis bought the mill from John D. Grimes' grandson. Mr. Davis added a store to the building. The Davis Milling Company made flour, grains, and even pigeon pellets. Near the end, only two people worked at the mill. They mostly made flour to be used as a glue extender.
In 1982, the Historic Salisbury Foundation bought the mill. This group works to save old buildings in Rowan County, North Carolina. They paid $60,000 for the mill. The next year, they opened it 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 was the only roller mill museum in North Carolina until the fire in 2013.
The 2013 Fire
On January 16, 2013, a fire started at Grimes Mill. Calls to 911 came in around 9:40 PM. The fire became very big, needing help from many fire stations nearby. It kept burning into the next day. Firefighters could not go inside for several days to find out what caused the fire. The mill had alarms for burglars and fires. But it did not have a sprinkler system.
After the fire, the Historic Salisbury Foundation sold bricks from the mill. This helped them raise money to clean up the site. The only other roller mill still standing in Rowan County is the China Grove Roller Mill.
Mill Design and Style
The original Grimes Mill was designed by its founders. These included D. R. Julian, A. C. Mauney, James C. McCanless, and Napoleon B. McCanless. The first building had three stories. It was built in the Second Empire style. This was a popular style during the Victorian era. Grimes Mill was one of the few industrial buildings in North Carolina built in this style.
