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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Brush Creek Falls, located in Mercer County ten miles north of Princeton on the Eads Mill Road, is a natural landmark and historic manufacturing site. The spectacular falls, which drop 29 feet, are located in a deep canyon one mile above where Brush Creek flows into the Bluestone River. Jimmy D. Johnson established a water-powered mill at the site about 1880 and built a three-storied structure. An overshot water wheel powered machinery to grind grain and manufacture yarn and woolen blankets. In 1896, George Sturdevant and John W. Johnson purchased the factory, and in 1904 they constructed new buildings with machinery powered by a water-driven turbine. In 1909, their partnership was dissolved, the factory ceased to operate, and the buildings were torn down. The property has not been commercially developed since then and is now owned by a conservation group.
Written by Michael M. Meador
McCormick, Kyle. The Story of Mercer County. Charleston Printing, 1957.
Kesecker, C. L. Brush Creek Falls Once Operated as Grist and Woolen Mill. Princeton Observer, December 28, 1950.
Meador, Michael. Factories Operated at Brush Creek Falls. Bluefield Daily Telegraph, March 25, 1984.