In 1850, George P. Grandstaff opened the large water-powered grist mill here nearly two years after construction began. The facility competed with the Whissen Mill on Stony Creek nearer the center of Edinburg, and together with the bridge across Stony Creek the two mills were important parts of this small Valley town. During September 1864, Federal Gen. Philip H. Sheridan began The Burning, a campaign against the resources of the Shenandoah Valley and the ability of its residents to supply provisions for the main Confederate army under siege at Petersburg. In 13 days between September 27 and October 9, 1864, Sheridan’s cavalry destroyed more than 1300 structures, including mills, barns, furnaces, and tanneries considered valuable to the Confederate cause. They also destroyed or confiscated crops, livestock, food, and transportation equipment, leaving parts of the Valley a barren wasteland. Shortly after noon on October 7, the Grandstaff Mill was set ablaze despite the pleas of horrified townspeople. At least two versions tell how the mill was saved, but both agree that Melvina Grandstaff, the owner’s granddaughter, and her friend Nellie Koontz were part of a bucket brigade that quenched the flames. The Whissen Mill also was saved when effective Confederate sniper fire from the hills behind it kept the Federals from crossing the creek for their assigned task.