Thomas Jefferson's Gristmill at Shadwell Plantation

Shadwell Plantation was the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson.  The gristmill ruin on the Rivanna River is the only remaining visible remnant of the original working mill plantation of the Jefferson family.

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We were hired by The Thomas Jefferson Foundation to stabilize the stone ruin so it could possibly be incorporated into part of a trail system that runs along the river.  Specifically, our scope of work was to repoint the exterior walls using custom lime mortar that was color matched to the original mortar.  We also matched the original strike of the remaining original mortar joints as well.    We stabilized the interior walls through the use of low-pressure lime mortar injections to pack the lime mortar deep within the walls.  We stabilized areas in and around the firebox as well as the tops of the walls to prepare them to be capped with lead sheeting.

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The Gristmill at Shadwell is the third project we have completed for The Thomas Jefferson Foundation.