Partridge Pea was in bloom along many back roads in the area
Mill Hunting and Bridge Hunting on Back Roads
Dana Koogler
Sunday August 11, 2019
Bridge Pictures are here starting with frame #7
Bridgehunter.com
Mill Pictures.com
I decided I wanted to do something different this weekend. It was hot and I needed a change so I decided to indulge one of my other hobbies. I enjoy bridge hunting and grist mill hunting. I had the good fortune on Saturday on the way home from hiking to locate and photograph the Belltown Mill in Tellico Plains.
Below is a photo of that. Belltown Mill
I put together a route using google maps that would make the most sense. I wanted a logical progression along the roads. I did not want to have to do a bunch of back tracking. I did not get to quite all on my list, but I got the biggest part of it. I felt it was too hot, weedy and snaky to be trudging round the old McGhee-Carson State Park. I will wait on that for a slightly cooler day.
I looked up info on Thompson Bridge and was fascinated by what I found. It looks interesting on bridge hunter website, but even more so on a satellite view. There appeared to be an abandoned building at the far end of the bridge. I went in search of that first. It sits at a ninety degree angle to the bridge which replaced it. I drove back toward Trigonia only to be met with a bridge so badly overgrown in weeds and vegetation to be practically impossible to see. The southern end is at least visible, but the norther end is not. You can stand right beside it and not know it is there. I snapped a couple shots of the store building and the bridge's far end and realized it would have to wait til Winter to be revisited and photographed.
Above: Old store building next to Thompson Bridge. Wonder what this store was called?
I have searched the national register of historic places and done google searches, but no luck thus far.
If I see anyone round when I am there next time I will ask.
Above: Barn across from the mill
Above: Mill building from the north end
Fork creek and the mill weir both above and below... a closer shot of it.
Above: Mill looks pretty under blue skies with that barn red paint.
Above: Pond Creek Mill viewed from the roadside on the north
Above: This must be Pond Creek. It is rather pretty and clear.
Above: Grain silos for Clover Hill Mill
Below: Clover Hill grist mill
I have searched the national register of historic places and done google searches, but no luck thus far.
If I see anyone round when I am there next time I will ask.
Once I found Thompson Bridge such as it was, I turned round and went back to highway 411 and headed south. I passed by the old Greenback IGA building somewhere along my route.
Below is an image of this local grocery store which is still in operation.
Next I decided to head toward the Eve Mill site. It looked really pretty. I wanted to see it for myself. It was easy to find and sits right by the road on Fork Creek in Loudon. I also found a blog relating to it where a fellow visited it. It was a nice read with some good photos. It was known at one time by the name Fowler Mill. Below are several images of the mill, outbuildings and the stream with the mill weir. Yet another low head dam on a Tennessee river. They are deemed killing machines because they cause lots of drownings. I may be wrong, but I doubt many people if ANY swim on this stream.
Above: Fork Creek is a rather pretty stream. It looks like it is at least partially spring fed.
Next I plugged in the coordinates for Pond Creek Mill aka Robinson Mill. It was five miles from Eve Mill. It was an easy drive back over to Hwy 72 to reach it. It is posted, but again right by the road in easy view. I was able to pull over and snap some photos without creating any problems. No one was around. I did not have to trespass to see it.
Above: Back of Pond Creek Mill toward the creek side.. south end. Viewed from the bridge.
I was done with these mills so I headed back toward home. A few weeks ago I had some bad information that the Clover Hill Mill near my house was still open for business. I went by there on the way to Greenback Castle to visit and buy flour and corn meal. I found it to be closed down and just a hang out for old fellows in the neighborhood. It was a neat old place. I hate it that it is no longer in business.
Below: Clover Hill grist mill
I wrapped up my day and headed home. I later found a former UT student's thesis on several area grist mills. It was dated 1986 and was fully online. I bookmarked it and read it and it has fueled more questions. Mill Pictures and Bridgehunter are fun and interesting websites, but they are by no means complete. I learned of several mills recently that are excluded from Mill Pictures. I also learned that Bridgehunter claims to want updates on situations with bridges, but when I submitted some info.......... it went unheeded. So take all that info with a grain of salt.
Examples: Binfield Rail Overpass is open for traffic of all kinds. Website says it is closed to all traffic.
Thompson Bridge is shown as very clear and free of debris, but it is overgrown as it can possibly be.
Other examples of outdated or incomplete information:
Belltown mill is not listed on the mill pictures site.
Cog Hill Mill is not even mentioned.
Hawn Mill is not mentioned
Hawkins Mill is not mentioned
Kelso's mill not mentioned
Trigonia Mill not mentioned
Shadden Creek Mill (Skeens Mill) not mentioned
Barum Creek Mill
John Hackney Mill site
I hope to get round to seeing the last eight on the list above. There are so many good ones and I want to see them even if they are just a mill weir left. I mentioned the learning of the mills and the still standing old Toqua school to which he laughed and said "Oh yes, there are lots and lots of mills around back in those days. " I have the feeling I've only scratched the surface even now.
Other bridges I want to see are the Howard School Road Bridge. I was in the vicinity and still managed to miss that one. I also want to go see a newer, more recent bridge.. the East Lakeshore trail bridge at Coytee.
Another neat feature I have been using is the Landmark hunter site which is connected to Bridgehunter. I will never run out of places to snoop!
from Landmark Hunter and National Register of Historic Places I'd also like to see the James Gillespie House out on Lowe's Ferry Road. It has a powerful history associated with it.
Below is a short video of Eve Mill
**After typing up this report I learned of Riverdale Mill in Knoxville!
