Mingus Mill

After we left the Laurel Falls trailhead we headed towards the North Carolina side of the park.  While we made a brief stop at Newfound Gap to take in the view from higher elevations we were going on further.  Our next stop was Mingus Mill, which is right off the main road.  Amy and I had been there before but we had never taken the kids with us there.

A half-mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center is Mingus Mill. Built in 1886, this historic grist mill uses a water-powered turbine instead of a water wheel to power all of the machinery in the building. Located at its original site, Mingus Mill stands as a tribute to the test of time.
--from Great Smoky Mountains NP website

The mill dates from 1896 and was rehabilitated by the Park Service over fifty years ago.  Once you leave the parking lot you cross over a bridge and walk up a path towards the mill.

It is a two-story structure and looks so much better than all of the buildings in the park that aren't actively maintained.

Inside in addition to the working machinery is an information table/sales counter.

If you continue upstairs you can view more about the history of the building.

This is a bolting chest.  "After the wheat was ground into flower a conveyor, or bucket, belt transported it to the bolting chest located on the second floor of the mill.  This machine, which was also powered by the turbine, sifted the flour and separated it into several grades from fine flour to bran (bits of hull)."
--from exhibit signage

This wheat cleaner looks somewhat like a Trojan horse to me.

Out back of the mill is the watercourse that brought the water to power the machinery.

Of course it started out on ground level.

Then as it got closer to the mill they needed to build supports to keep the flow going at the same level.

Finally it powered the waterwheel on the side of the building.

The mill is well worth a stop when you're on the North Carolina side of the park.  You might even catch a glimpse of a beautiful stream as you walk around.

If you want to see a few more photos of the area you can find them here.

~Matt