There is no doubt, Mabry Mill is one of the most scenic settings along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Over the years the amount of photographs taken on this site would likely set some type of world record. This attraction, nearby the Meadows of Dan, includes a blacksmith shop, soap-making facilities and even an old fashioned Virginia mountain's moonshine still.
     A fifth generation Mabry, Ed Mabry began his milling operation a few years after its construction was completed in 1910. The nearby stream lacked enough water flow to turn the huge millstones, but Mabry stayed on and worked hard, a typical trait of the self-sufficient Appalachian people. Mabry built furniture and wagon hubs as a wheelwright and blacksmith. After saving up enough money, he purchased the surrounding property and diverted nearby springs and creeks to supply a steady stream to power his grist mill.
     Ed Mabry died in 1936 and his wife stayed on at the mill until the National Parks Service adopted this wonderful historic site.