Falls Mills, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Falls Mills is an unincorporated community
along Virginia State Route 102 in Tazewell County
, Virginia
, United States
and is located at the mouth of Mud Fork Valley. It is part of the Bluefield
, WV
-VA micropolitan area
which has a population of 107,578.
Perhaps the most notable event to occur there is known as the Engagement at Falls Mills. On July 20 1863 at dawn, the Confederate cavalry of Major Andrew J. May surprised a Union raiding party led by Lt. Col Freeman E. Franklin. The Union cavalry was chased from its bivouac in nearby Brown's Meadow, where it was preparing to burn the Falls Mill, and fled north toward Abb's Valley. Brigadier General John S. Williams' Confederate Cavalry struck the Union raiders as they withdrew up the valley, causing them to abandon captured livestock and contraband slaves.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
along Virginia State Route 102 in Tazewell County
Tazewell County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,598 people, 18,277 households and 13,232 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 20,390 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is located at the mouth of Mud Fork Valley. It is part of the Bluefield
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
, WV
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
-VA micropolitan area
Bluefield micropolitan area
The Bluefield Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties – one in West Virginia and one in Virginia – anchored by the city of Bluefield, West Virginia....
which has a population of 107,578.
History
Falls Mills received its name from a mill there, located at a natural Dam in the Bluestone River. Another dam, built by Norfolk and Western Railroad across Mud Fork creek reaches twenty feet high and spans several hundred feet to form a lake more than a mile long. Through the mid to late 1900s the lake was a summer resort area with boating, fishing and cabins. Residents still enjoy fishing in the lake which is maintained and stocked by the Falls Mills Fishing Club.Perhaps the most notable event to occur there is known as the Engagement at Falls Mills. On July 20 1863 at dawn, the Confederate cavalry of Major Andrew J. May surprised a Union raiding party led by Lt. Col Freeman E. Franklin. The Union cavalry was chased from its bivouac in nearby Brown's Meadow, where it was preparing to burn the Falls Mill, and fled north toward Abb's Valley. Brigadier General John S. Williams' Confederate Cavalry struck the Union raiders as they withdrew up the valley, causing them to abandon captured livestock and contraband slaves.