"The Breeding Mill Explosion"

Breeding Mill main page | song | newspaper clippings

In the early part of this century mills, factories, and many types of agricultural machines ran off of steam engines. Such a boiler was the cause of the destruction at Breeding Mill in the Russell County community of Clinchfield in 1933.

The day was bitter cold, and several men gathered for warmth around the boiler powering the grist mill. Without warning the boiler exploded, hurling fragments of wood and steel over 100 feet. The boiler was tossed over ten feet into the air. Three men were killed, and a dozen were injured.

"The Breeding Mill Explosion" was composed by Mrs. H. C. McGuire six days after the accident. It ends with one of the longest moral messages found in Virginia ballads.