Zirkle Mill - Mill Campaign

Mill Campaign

The mill sat neglected for many years until 1980 it was bought by a North Carolina carpenter named Glen Hofecker who restored it to working order. It was during this time that the mill was added to the Virginia Historic Landmark Register in 1992 and then placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Hofecker sold the mill at auction in 1992 to Bowman Fruit Sales, LLC controlled by Gordon D. "Sonny" Bowman, a local orchardist.

Bowman Fruit Sales owned the mill for 11 years and then decided to sell it. The mill was placed on the open market for a year with no takers. Finally, the Frontier Culture Museum of Staunton, Virginia came calling. They were looking for a mill to be the centerpiece of an exhibit on 1850s life and announced plans to move the upper portion of the mill to museum property in Staunton, Virginia. Two Zirkle descendents, Rob Andrews and Sherryl Andrews Belinsky formed the Save the Zirkle Mill Foundation (now called Old Dominion Preservation) and conducted a year-long campaign to save the mill.

The Frontier Culture Museum is state funded and is restricted by acquisition laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The purchase of the mill property was highly irregular. After taking the case to the State Attorney General's office, the Attorney General issued an opinion stating that the Governor of Virginia must approve the acquisition of the mill by the museum as dictated by state laws.

In July 2005, Governor Mark Warner denied the acquisition of the mill by the museum. Bowman Fruit Sales waited a few months and quietly put the mill up for sale again. While it had become famous, there were few takers. Andrews and Belinsky made an offer for the mill and on January 5, 2006 became the owners of the Andrew Zirkle Mill.