Glade Valley Mill: History and Paranormal

The Glade Valley Mill

Built in the 1850's the Glade Valley Mill in Woodsboro, Maryland has had a varied and interesting past. For me the Mill was a back drop to my married life always sitting next to my husbands grandparents home like a stately old dame, albeit lost and forlorn. From the time I had first laid eyes on the old building to the time that my brother in law purchased it in 2014, I had always wondering if people still walked the halls. Did they still go through their routines as if nothing were amiss?

Originally the Glade Valley Mill was originally located in Troutville in the Legore Bridge Road area. The then flour mill was owned by Daniel Saylor. In the 1890's the structure was moved to Woodsboro by the new owner Anderson Etzler, now known as the Etzler Mill. The Glade Valley Milling Co. took over in 1904. It fascinates me endlessly to hear of these old structures moved today I cannot imagine the fascination of moving such a building in the 1890's. This move put the mill closer to the Western Maryland Railway. The Glade Valley Milling Co.however took over the mill in 1904.

In the early 1900's the building received a renovation in the form of 2 additional stories. The mansard roof with dormers prevented additional taxation. The rear of the building pictured above was a power house which initially had a steam engine, which later would be converted to an electric engine. I cannot imagine the sound that those beasts made when turned on.

The mill was originally used as a flour mill and went on to do feed/ grain. It is even documented that the mill employed its own cooper to make barrels for flour and meal. We have a few of the receipt books that show the mix that people ordered which are stamped with the Glade Valley Milling Co. stamp. Eventually the mill ended production in the 1950's but walking the halls of the old dame still shows that the history and use of this structure are still alive today.

While the mill continued to have all of its original parts in the upper floors, the mill took a turn for the antique. For many years the structure was owned by the same person who had an antique store on the first floor. It was said that he also stored items in the upper portions of the building. Soon after, the mill was sold and closed up. As decades passed windows were broken. Raccoons and pigeons made homes in the building and it eventually became a bit of an eyesore. 

In 2014 the building was purchased by a member of our family. He converted the first floor into his business and eventually called us because he felt like he was being watched in a few areas. Once it was cleaned of vermin, the roof repaired, and new windows placed; we began to investigate. 

In November 2014, we investigated the mill for the first time. We did not note any baseline readings that would contaminate our data and we can note that the mill does not have electricity on the upper floors. During this investigation we noted repeated footsteps near and above us, disembodied voices, loud bangs, and tapping. At one point on the 2nd floor we were standing near a metal ladder when something banged on the rungs. We captured three responses via the Spirit Box on the 2nd floor, which has proved to be the most active area of the building. One voice replied "Goodbye", one claimed "Kill you", a female gave her name as "Ethel", and another voice responded "It wasn't me". Other experiences included a shadow figure blocking out light on one of the floors. 

Since this night we have investigated the Mill seven additional times. We note similar experiences as the first investigation which include; shadows, disembodied voices, footsteps, bangs, cold spots, and unusual scratching sounds. One such experience was had by Jeremy and myself on the 4th floor. We hear strange tapping and scratching and went floor to floor to find a source. Upon reaching the top of the steps on the 4th floor we saw and heard a large black figure race away. It seemed to do an about face with a bang and scratching sounds as it moved away towards the front of the building. We gathered the entire team to make certain no one was on the 4th floor and after an hour of search, we came up with nothing. It was the singularly most interesting experience we have had to date.

One of the spirits that frequently chats with us on the 2nd floor is a gentleman by the name of Frank Feather. While this is the name he has agreed is his, we have yet to find documentation that the living version of this man actually came to the Glade Valley Mill. It is said that Frank Feather, a cane maker, was a bit of a nomad, a vagabond. Some call him a bum. What is interesting to note about the gentleman we speak to is that he has a British accent. Frank Feather was born in England and came to the U.S. when he was 8. He worked at the Moller Pipe Organ factory in Hagerstown in 1899. He turned hundreds, possibly thousands of canes, which after his death became very popular. Mr. Feather seems to enjoy his drink and tobacco, which is actually documented in a few articles about him. He was said to enjoy staying in barns and places near the railroad of which he used to travel. We enjoy gathering information on this cheeky fellow.

Tonight we are heading back to the Glade Valley Mill and hope to utilize several new techniques and trigger objects in the attempt to gather more information on the various spirits that still walk the halls of the old dame. We continue to use the Mill as a research location for techniques, various equipment, and for the attempt to correlate variables to the activity in the building. The Glade Valley Mill is an interesting subject when it comes to history and the paranormal.