Updated August 25, 2009
NEWS AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
September 2009:
The Fourth Annual Music At The Mill was held on the 19th, and celebrated the 1st anniversary of the mill being turned on and working. We had a successful event with great music, food and crafts. Mike Reel of Asheville won the grill and $200 in our drawing, so congratulations to Mike.
June 2009:
The Francis Mill is in great shape!! Look how far we have come in 5 years!!
The building is stable, and there is more water in "Francis Mill Creek" than I have seen in years!
The mill was the site of a lovely wedding on June 5, 2009.
Abby Boone and Bryan Spann chose the mill as their wedding site after volunteering here last Sept at Music at the Mill! Check out the Photo Page for pictures: CLICK HERE, and scroll to the bottom of the page.
We have two groups of students coming later this month to take a tour so we are accomplishing what we set out to do!
January 2009:
Francis Mill is the feature article in the Winter issue of The Old Mill News from SPOOM:
Click here to see the article
(this link requires an Adobe PDF reader. If you do not have one, download it free at: ADOBE READER DOWNLOAD)
This article is very well done and includes a history of the mill and a history of its restoration. It also features a color photo of the mill on the front of the publication, as well as photos of volunteers during the restoration.
October 2008:
First Education Days at the mill. On the 22nd and 23rd, approximately 100 4th graders from Bethel Elementary visited the mill to learn about the history and operation of the mill. This was the first of many education days at the mill. One of the main purposes for the mill's restoration was so it could be used as an educational tool, and now that has come to fruition. The children were very attentive and interested, asked many questions, and went away with an increased knowledge of their heritage, and more specifically how grain was processed before electricity. The students were visiting as part of Haywood County's Bicentennial Celebration. Below are some pictures of that event:
Learning about the pond and its purpose.
Watching the corn cobs yielding their kernels.
Seeing the finished product.
Learning about the mill's history.
September 2008:
3rd Annual Music at The Mill
July 2008:
The mill will be a featured stop on the Cold Mountain Heritage Tour sponsored by the Bethel Rural Community Organization. More about the tour and BRCO can be found by CLICKING HERE.
-Update July 12: The Cold Mountain Heritage Tour was a great success for the mill. We even made some money from souvenir and picture sales. Due to the drought, the mill had to be shut down a couple of times until the pond filled up again, but fortunately most of the visitors got to watch the mill in actual operation as corn was ground during this event. Donations were accepted from those people who wanted to take home some of the ground corn.
A DVD produced by the Bethel Rural Community Organization (who sponsored the Cold Mountain Tour), features Francis Mill in about a 10 minute segment. The DVD is called Walking In The Footsteps of Those Who Came Before Us: A Collection Of Bethel History, and is available at several businesses throughout Haywood County (Blue Ridge Books and News, Osondu Books, WNC Visitors Center) as well as mail order through the Bethel Rural Community Organization at: Order Form (CLICK HERE). For further information on what else this fascinating film includes,CLICK HERE. For anyone interested in local history, this film is highly recommended.
There is also a book available, "Legends, Tales and History of Cold Mountain: Book IV" which has the mill featured as well. It is also available at the above locations.
SPRING 2008:
We have a professional millwright that will be working on the inside of the mill assembling and meshing the gears so that the grinding machinery can be put into operation. Watch for updates.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2007: THE WHEEL IS TURNING!
This historic event took place during our 2nd Annual Music At The Mill. The wheel began turning approximately one hour before the event started, through the laborious efforts of several volunteers working until all hours in the days leading up to the 22nd. Our sincere thanks go out to them for making this happen so that many people could enjoy watching the wheel turn while they listened to some good music and enjoyed some BBQ.
Watch this space for a report on this special day.
JUNE 2007
NEW WHEEL INSTALLED!
On the weekend of June 22, 23 and 24, the new wheel was installed with the assistance of several volunteers and a crew from the Water Wheel Factory from Franklin, NC. See the pictures of the installation on the Workshop Photo Page CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS. A huge thanks to all the volunteers who showed up to help along with some of the wives who provided lunch. Now the goal is to finish the pond work and install the flume. A millwright has also been hired to put all the machinery inside the mill into working order, so that hopefully we can have the mill up and running before the end of the year...in time to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the mill along with the Bicentennial of Waynesville.
JULY 2007
FLUME BOX INSTALLED!!
Watch for details.
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