Our second state park of this trip is south of Augusta (home of The Masters golf tournament) and east of Macon. We’ve put many of the black gnats and mosquitoes behind us (until we get to the coast) and “welcomed” the flies. Oh boy. We spent our 5 days actually in the park since there’s not much else to do or see right around us. We enjoyed our campsite, hiking, and learning about the history of the park area.
welcome to a new (to us) state park!
campsite
Barney backed us into this beautiful campsite with a view of the lake. The shade is so nice when the sun is beating down.
The flat area in front of the RV let us set up mats so we could do our stretching and workouts. The picnic table and fire ring are a few steps down from this area.
Isn’t this a great view from our campsite? We loved being here!
Squirrel Run walking trail
This 1/2-mile walk takes us from the campground to the office and museum that we’ll see shortly. Such a nice walk!
This walk makes a mile go quickly.
The first sight on our first walk was this gopher tortoise starting to dig out a new burrow.
When we walked back to our campsite about an hour later, he was gone and didn’t leave any sign of his digging. But this wouldn’t have been a good place to have a home entrance since the path is so heavily traveled.
walkway over the water
This duck nests in tree cavities and artificial nesting boxes that the park has provided.
Here’s a nesting box on the left from the back. The metal circular disk keeps the squirrels away. The nesting box on the right shows the holes for the ducks to use.
See all the cypresses trees in the middle of the lake? Usually they’re along the marshy sides of a lake so they are probably the other side of the original river/creek that ran through here. When the dam was built (more later) for the mill, the area was flooded for this lake, putting the trees in the middle of the lake.
We met John and Mickey as we walked along the trail. They’re from Buford, SC, and told us about some great places to see when we go to the Savannah area in a couple of days. Can’t wait to go back to Buford again for lunch!
A view of the covered bridge from the walking trail. That’s where we’re headed.
history
The mill at this state park started on 15-Mile Creek in the spring of 1879 when Alexander Hendricks discovered a 200-acre tract that seemed like a perfect mill location.
A year later, he and his partner, James Parrish, purchased the site and immediately began building a dam, mill pond, and turbine-run sawmill. This unique construction acted as a covered bridge and drive-through mill that turned raw resources into usable products for the local community.
We’ve learned on our travels that the first building needed in a new community is a sawmill so homes and businesses can be built.
The overflow of northern waters within the watershed allowed this pond/lake to be created when the 15-Mile Creek was dammed. The lake’s acreage fluctuates from 400 to 525 acres due to rainfall.
The mill houses a series of individual floodgates that operate as a functioning dam, opening and closing as water rises and lowers. While its technology is primitive since it was built in 1880, it is still efficient and reliable. The only modernization is the use of an electric hoist to open and close the gates.
The area for the park was purchased in 1974. Its original name, Parrish Pond Recreation Area, with the 1880s Watson Mill as an historical showpiece, was renamed in honor of George L. Smith. Smith was a local politician and long-term Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives; he was instrumental in acquiring the land for its cultural importance and natural resources.
entrance to the mill, lake is on the left
The saw mill is on the right, and this drive-through area is on the left.
The bridge/mill is 101.3 feet across the creek and was used by motor vehicles until 1984.
mill house
Hendricks and Parrish knew they needed to cut board lumber from the local timber, so they built a basic sawmill, probably open-sided, until they had processed enough board lumber to enclose the mill.
Once the sawmill was complete. it was used by the local community for building barns, houses, and furniture.
A view of the sawmill. When the virus shutdown is over, I hope the park opens up this area again for demonstrations.
grist mill
Millstones were installed to complete the grist mill around 1885. Shelled corn was brought in by horse-drawn carts to be ground into fine cornmeal or coarse grits (also known as chaff or hominy).
In 1945, the grist mill was the only functioning machinery in the mill when Hubert Watson purchased it. He continued to grind corn and sell it across the south until 1973 when the mill was closed. The next year the state bought the property for the state park.
The grist mill lay dormant until it was restored in 1998 when the turbine was replaced with a pre-1913 refurbished model that used 50% less water. The mill is still operational for demonstrations and is capable of grinding 200 pounds of corn an hour.
The original grinding stones.
old time corn grinder
cotton gin
Ginning cotton is the process of removing seed and lint from cotton. This cotton gin was installed here in the early 1880s immediately after the sawmill was completed. People typically brought in a cartload at a time, which yielded about half of a bale. Thus we have the “Half-Bale Cotton Gin.”
The ginned cotton consisted of 2 types: Sea Island (long-staple) and Upland cotton (short-staple). This second type accounts for 95% of U.S. cotton.
water-powered turbine
Parrish Mill, which became known as Watson Mill, used a turbine to convert water into usable energy. Different from a water wheel, the turbine created “swirl” that could process more water by spinning faster. This process allowed the turbine to be much smaller that a water wheel of the same power.
Building this dam was considered to be an engineering feat since no heavy machinery was available at the time. Built by hand, each load of dirt was shoveled and transported by local African Americans and Irish immigrants. The mill was constructed on top of the dam to provide the greatest water depth for generating power to the turbine.
And here’s the turbine.
The original turbine was made in the late 1800s. It was housed in a water box with a headgate that regulates pressure and depth. A small gate cleaned out tree limbs and debris. The turbine was made of hardened steel and other metals. The turbine’s speed was controlled by adjustable water collectors and exhaust.
As the water collectors, or individual veins, are opened, the turbine draws water, starts to spin the shaft, and exhausts water through the draft tube located on the bottom. The draft tube is approximately the same diameter as the turbine.
parts of the turbine
generator
In the early 1950s, a diesel engine was put in place because of lower lake levels and the added strain of 2 additional grinding stones to help generate power. Since the original turbine was wearing out, the diesel engine became the sole source of power until the mill was closed in 1973.
In December 1998, a reconditioned turbine dating back to 1912 was installed. All other necessary repairs were made, and the mill was resurrected.
And here’s the generator.
how the generator works
views of the area on the other side of the dam
Up the hill from the museum was this building available (usually) for parties and meetings. The rocking chairs on the porch were wonderful!
As we left the museum, we walked along this berm that had been built up to make the lake.
We didn’t see any ospreys at the park, but we did see a bald eagle in the area.
view of the lake’s edge as we walked away from the museum/mill—so lovely
walking trails
We enjoyed these trails as we walked in the mornings before the sun got too hot. You can see 15-Mile Creek flowing away from the 412-acre lake.
Wonder if we’ll see a gopher tortoise (or its burrow), the eastern indigo snake, white-tailed deer, or birds.
walking along
This curved tree captured my imagination. Wonder why it’s curved.
Information on the importance of natural fires. We heard a park ranger say once that Smokey the Bear now says that we can prevent wildfires, not forest fires.
example of the forest restoring itself after a fire
And we found a gopher tortoise’s burrow. It was large. Luckily it was protected so no one would step on it.
Ticks are nasty.
cactus (!) on the left and a flowering yucca plant on the right
As we walked, we kept looking for the blue bands painted on the trees to make the trail.
Half way around the path was this opening to some fields.
We could see forever.
other park campsites
The park has some lovely cabins for renting, as well as these pioneer camping cabins. The road was pretty rough to drive there; we did feel like pioneers. We didn’t hike out to the primitive camping area.
These 2 cabins were screened-in open areas that would be great for groups to use.
The pioneer campsite had this area for eating and group activities.
predator
In the last post we mentioned that the gopher tortoises had a new predator, which is why the number of gopher tortoises is lower and have been are designated as an endangered species.
These tegus from South America are an invasive species and pose threats to birds, mammals, and insects in Georgia. They also eat fruit, vegetables, pet food (!), and eggs from chickens and gopher tortoises.
They look nasty! So glad we didn’t see one.
shopping
One afternoon we drove around the countryside and saw some local small towns. We ended up in Swainsboro, a town large enough to have a Walmart. The population is around 7500, and the town hosts a 2-year college that’s part of the Georgia University system. Swainsboro’s claim to fame is that in the 1930s, the town’s streets and sidewalks were paved and it was at the intersection of 2 major national highways: U.S. 1 and U.S. 80, earning its city motto: “Crossroads of the Great South.”
Haven’t seen so many cases of water in months.
Next state park? We’ll be close to Savannah. We’ve been there a number of times so look forward to seeing new places.
