Willoughby Newton built a mill here in 1746, and although many people later owned it, none was named Cabell. Lane, Love, Harrington, Britton, and Triplett owned it before Edward Caple purchased the property in 1846 and ground corn, buckwheat, wheat, and plaster there to sweeten the soil. After the Civil War, E. M. Pitman ground sumac for the tanning industry, but later millers returned to grinding grain for local farmers. Ellanor C. and David Lawrence purchased the mill in 1942, stayed at Middlegate, the miller's house, and used the renovated mill for guests. David Lawrence was an influential journalist, and President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt were among the visitors to Middlegate. In 1969, Ellanor left her adjoining Walney property to David with the request that it be preserved, and David later gave Walney and the mill to the Fairfax County Park Authority in her memory.