Vinton was once Gish Mill
It’s well known that once upon a time in Southwest Virginia, Roanoke was called Big Lick until the Norfolk and Western Railroad came along. What might not be so widely known is that the railroad led to the change in the name of neighboring Vinton which was once known as Gish Mill.
The name came from a Grist Mill operation built in 1838 by David Gish. Initially, two mills along Glade Creek in Roanoke, County were owned by Gish and his brother, Christian but one mill was eventually abandoned.
The Gish Mill facility originally utilized water-powered millstones for grinding but was converted to an electric roller mill in the early 20th century. It survived at least two instances of fire, once in 1924 and again in 1940. (Wikipedia)
The Gish Mill building is being remodeled
Like Big Lick, which became Roanoke the coming of the railroad led to growth in the town of Gist Mill. of was changed to Vinton in 1884 when only 584 people were living in the area. (per History of Vinton). There were tenants in the old Gist Mill building until 2014. The building has since been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.