Mingus Mill

While camping in the Great Smoky Mountains, we had an opportunity to tour an old Mill that was located a hop, skip, and a jump from where our tent was set up.  It is called Mingus Mill and was built in 1886 and was used by the community to mill corn and wheat.  We have a mill at home that we use to grind wheat and buckwheat into flour.  It is powered by cranking it by hand and it serves its purpose.

Tricia working to turn buckwheat into flour in our mill at home

Mingus Mill is an engineering marvel and must have been quite an operation back in its day.  What you're seeing below is the mill house. It uses water power to drive the millstones that grind the grain.  I know that you are probably thinking that the mill house has a big waterwheel that harnesses the power of flowing water to turn the stones.  Actually, Mingus Mill did not have a water wheel.   Let's trace the water back to its source and then I'll explain how Mingus Mill converted water to power.

Note the sluice that is guiding water into the mill

Below the boys are at the main diversion gate that channels water from Mingus Creek into the millrace that sends the water rushing toward the mill.  If Russ or Benjamin were to lift up the handle, water flow would be restricted from the mill and then milling would cease.

Flood gate that controls water being diverted from Mingus Creek

Now we're walking back toward the mill alongside the flume.  This channel was dug by hand and lined with boards driven in vertically.  It is very hard for you to see, I'm sure, but the boards are covered in moss. Note the swift current in the flume.  It sort of reminds me of the old "Log Ride" that we used to ride at amusement parks.

White water in the flume

After a nice leisurely walk, the flume makes a final curve before heading toward the mill.  There is a wooden bridge so that you can walk over it and trace the water back to Mingus Creek.  The flume spans a length of about 200 feet.

 

Here is a direct shot that shows the water racing to the mill that you can see in the background.  It is at this point that the sluice begins being elevated.

Here is a picture of the elevated flume just prior to going into the mill.  Here is a good time to explain what Mingus Mill has in place of a water wheel.  At the end of the flume the water falls into a penstock, which is a four foot square vertical "pipe," for lack of a better word.  This penstock is filled with water.  Since the flume is a little higher than 20 feet, the 20 feet of water pressure in the penstock creates a lot of force as the water flow hits a steel turbine.  This was an advancement from the water wheel technology.  The turbine has angled blades that catch the water and turns at about 400 rpms generating 11 horsepower.  That force turns a rod that turns the millstones.  I'm awestruck by their ingenuity and work ethic. 

Elevated sluice about to drop water and thus, power, into the mill.

Here is one of the millstones inside the mill.  It is made of granite and has channels cut into it to direct the cornmeal or flour out into collection boxes.  There was another millstone that fit right on top of this one. From time to time the stone needed to be sharpened and this was accomplished by using a 'chisel-like' tool. Mingus Mill served about 200 community members and they would travel and bring their grain to the mill to be ground into various products.  The miller kept back 1/8 for payment for the grinding service which equated to about one gallon per bushel of grain.

The bottom millstone

Here is the top millstone.  These were sitting outside and I wished that I would have set something on top of it to show the scale.  I would assume that it stood about a foot and a half tall and three and a half feet in diameter, but that is just an estimate.

A millstone

As I was looking at the millstone, I was reminded of the following verse from the Bible:

    1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.  -Matthew 18:1-6

The size and apparent weight of the millstone drove home the point that it is a very serious offense to lead a child or someone exhibiting childlike faith astray.  You'd never survive if you had this thing tied around your neck and be dropped in the water.  You'd go straight to the bottom.

Back to Mingus Mill, it was an enjoyable tour that showed how man harnessed nature to an extent in order to power the mill which provided necessities for life in the mountain community.  I'm sure that people met at the mill while waiting for their grain to be milled and socialized, much the same as folks do at coffee shops, barber shops and feed stores today in rural America.  I'm sure they discussed the weather and politics and happenings in the local community - just like today.