 Aldie's beginnings were laid in 1765 when James Mercer and George Mercer established a mill at the location of the present historic edifice.The location was a natural choice, as the gap contained the intersection of the Belhaven road between Winchester and Alexandria and the Mountain road which ran northwest to Snickers Gap.By 1809 the Little River Turnpike was completed from Alexandria to the Mercer Mill, replacing the older rutted section of Belhaven Road.