The mission is simple. Our passion is to preserve and restore the Big Otter Mill for the purpose of protecting the Architectural integrity of the structure, and to restore operation of the mill in the interest of historic preservation, to provide educational opportunities for students and the community and to promote tourism in the region.
Our Primary Needs:
- Stabilize the Structural Walls
- Restore the Mill Wheel
- Provide Clean and Safe Access
- Electrical Engineering
- Refurbish Roller Mills
- Build Water Source for Wheel
- Make the Building Safe and compliant for the public
Tourism in Virginia is an $18.7 billion per year industry and supports 210,000 Virginia jobs contributing $4.3 billion in payroll and salaries. Other Bedford attractions such as the National D-Day Memorial, Poplar Forest, the Bedford Wine Trail, Centertown Bedford, the Bedford Museum, Smith Mountain Lake, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the James River and other attractions differentiate Bedford from other locations in Virginia.
Thanks in part to the late Nanci Drake, the capable and dynamic Sergei Troubetzkoy, and our wonderful current Tourism Director, Nicole Johnson, the wisdom of Bedford City and County governments in helping to cultivate the area's growing tourism industry. We are also grateful to Douglas Coffman, Bedford County's General Properties Manager, for his wisdom and guidance as we restore the Mill.
The Mill has the potential to be a cultural heritage catalyst for educating the youth of our community and throughout the Blue Ridge.