Dear group--

     I am giving this a try, but I'm not at all sure it will work.

     I couldn't think of a better group to help these guys.  This mill was
     a wonderful one, right off I-66 in VA and a landmark to everyone who
     passed it.  It was apparently arson.

     Marilyn Harper


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Subject: Historic Mill Destroyed at Thoroughfare Gap
Author:  Frank Harrell at NP--NCR
Date:    10/23/98 3:31 PM


     On Thursday afternoon, October 23, 1998, historic Chapman's Mill (also
     known as Beverly's Mill) at Thoroughfare Gap, Prince William County,
     Virginia, was gutted by fire.  The mill, which dated to the
     mid-eighteenth century, was a key Civil War period landmark and the
     scene of significant action during the Second Manassas campaign in
     August 1862.

     Preliminary inspections by county officials indicate that the
     structural remains are unsafe.  At the time of this announcement, no
     one has been able to contact the owner of the property, who lives out
     of state.  Meanwhile, the Friends of Bull Run, Inc., a non-profit
     organization that manages the Bull Run Mountains Natural Area adjacent
     to the mill, is requesting the assistance of a structural engineer to
     provide an assessment of the ruins and advise what measures may be
     taken to stabilize and preserve the remains.  Anyone interested in
     offering assistance for this should contact Emily Morgan of the
     Friends organization at (703) 753-2631.

     We are posting on the internet several images taken today of the
     remains of Chapman's (Beverly's) Mill.  The address is
     http://www.nps.gov/mana/potpouri/mill/

     Thank you


     Ray Brown
     Cultural Resources Manager
     Manassas National Battlefield Park