"Millrace"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)
Once upon a time, rumor has it that there were some 70 water powered grist mills operating in Wake County. This is -- as far as I know -- the sole survivor from those times, the Yates Mill. I've featured it before in this series as a part of one of my how-to articles, and in other memes as well. But the mill has a lot of history behind it, so it's earned special treatment. You might remember I mentioned that the original mill was constructed around 1763. It was rebuilt c. 1840 after being destroyed by a flood and continued as a working mill until 1959 when it was forced to shut down for lack of business. In all likelihood, it simply couldn't keep pace with modern advances in production techniques but the fact that it stayed operational as long as it did is an impressive achievement. The mill fell into disrepair after closing, as such things do. But it was rescued from the fate suffered by most of its counterparts by the parks service and private contributors who restored it and preserved this little piece of Wake County history.I'm hardly the only local photographer to shoot the site. Yates Mill and the park around it is a favorite target of cameras of all shapes and sizes.
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17 comments:
Very nice.
I have sepia envy :P
Beautiful photo. We have a mill called "Old mill" nearby, it's small but well preserved.
I must say, Ever since I started visiting your blog & viewing your snapshots, I have really started appreciating the Sepia tainted pictures! They speak of an 'era' .
Very vintage-looking; nice sepia effect.
Nice image for sepia...
There are two mills in nearby Parke County--within about 5 miles of each other. We visit the area they are in often.
Oh wow.. if you didn't indicate that this was taken 2008, I would guess this photo was photographed a long time ago! The sepia effect was perfect for images like this.
My sepia scene is posted here. It's my first.
I always wonder how things of this magnitude fall into disrepair at all. Seems like, well, somebody'd notice the decay and decline.
I like this view. Those wheels are amazing. I would love to have the mind of an engineer for a day or two.
If you are interested in the photos of the funeral home, type in 'funeral home' in the search box at the top of my blog...it will bring up the original plus a couple from film days that were scanned in. A different view though.
If I lived closer I'd be there with my camera also. Beautiful sepia scene!
Pretty sad that it's the sole survivor of so many.
Visting them I marvel at the minds of those who knew how to make it and make it work.
This is rendered well in Sepia.
The Sepia adds the proper antique context to an old mill. There were probably many of these old mills in Connecticut, but mostly gone now. You have made history seem a little bit more alive in your picture...
Yeah..sepia envy is a good term. Thank you for the book suggestion for my camera. I found it on DVD which I think will be good for me...Michelle
I love going to mills. :) So pretty! Nicely done in the sepia. :)
Lovely glimpse into a time gone by.
The mill by my parents house was turned into an upscale shopping arcade for the tourists. Sigh...
Holy Toledo! There must be quite a few rivers in the Raleigh-Durham area to support that many mills!
And no wonder it is a favorite. Such a place would draw me back again and again.
It looks like an original photo. Nice to know that the Park Service is on top of things in the restoration department. Beautifully done.
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