Last week we had a look at the Alfred Reagan house, and this week we’re not going far – just across the road to the old tub mill. It’s believed that Alfred built this gristmill around 1900. Park research and restoration transcripts note that the structure is very similar to other tub mills in the area, with one exception; Alfred’s had a homemade bolting machine that allowed him to separate wheat from chaff, allowing him to mill both wheat and corn. Like other mills in the Smokies, this one used a channel to move water from the stream through a turbine, which then drove the grinding wheel. Alfred’s setup also had a hand crank setup, that allowed him to operate the mill manually when water levels were too low. Along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, this particular mill is notable due to its accessibility – it’s literally right by the road, across from where you park for the Reagan house.
As I was looking at this mill, I decided I wanted to frame it with the flume in the immediate foreground because I liked the leading lines of it, and I was also impressed by the icicles hanging off of it (though you have to look really close to see the light reflecting off of them in this image). From a sky perspective though, that left me in a bit of a tricky spot because I was pointed basically directly at Gatlinburg, and the trees were especially thick. Undeterred, I decided a star trail shot was in order, after having been inspired by the one of the Methodist church I had done in Cades Cove a few weeks prior. As it turned out, more sky was visible in the image than I imagined when I set it up – which is definitely a good thing!
More next week!
–Dan Thompson