Sylvan Falls Mill

The historic Sylvan Falls Mill, located in the scenic mountains of north east Georgia, is celebrating its 168th year of operation in 2009. It is unique among other gristmills, in that it is located below a 100-foot cascading waterfall, and the mill is powered by a 27-foot water wheel, which is one of the largest in the United States.

The owners continue the art of grinding that has been practiced here since 1840. They employ an overshot wheel as a power source, a canvas belt transfers the energy from the wheel outside to the "burr mill" inside the building. The speed of the grinding is controlled by a series of adjustments made to the amount of water going over the wheel, the amount of grain going into the mill and the set of the stones. The end product is bagged and refrigerated to maintain freshness. In a typical week they grind corn, wheat, and rye into flour, meal and grits.

For more information, go to http://www.sylvanfallsmill.com/.

Here are a few winter photos.

Below is a picture taken of Sylvan Lake Falls Mill in 1973.