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Ruins of the Old Souther Mill Union County, GA - December 2021 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021-2022) |
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Ruins of the Old Souther Mill Union County, GA - December 2021 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021-2022) |
| The Souther Mill, in Choestoe, was established in 1848 by Jesse Souther, Jr. and his brothers Joseph and John. The enterprise, consisting of both a grist mill and saw mill, was in operation up until 1937. The buildings burned to the ground in 1943. |
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| Breached millpond dam |
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| Souther Mill ruins |
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| Iron valve and other hardware along creek edge at the mill site. |
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| A pair of threaded iron rods |
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| Another view of the south foundation wall |
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| Stone-lined cavity in one of the foundation walls |
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| Inside the stone-lined cavity There was water seeping out; maybe a spring head? |
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| Another view of the picturesque mill ruins and creek |
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| Foundation wall detail By the looks of this joint in the rock wall, I would say that the section on the right was added sometime after the left section. |
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| Photo of Souther Mill, taken in 1937 showing John Paul Souther, R.A. Bjorson, Bill Bates Courtesy Union County Historical Society |
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| The water turbine from the old sawmill was located and salvaged by Ted Thomas in the early 2000s. The turbine paddles are underneath the wooden housing at the bottom of this photo. The vertical drive shaft/pulley and part of the 6" wide drive belt are also shown. |
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| Ted Thomas, a ggg-grandson of Jesse Souther, restored the turbine and donated it to the Union County Historical Society in April 2004. |
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| This component was also salvaged from the old mill. |
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| Another view |
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| This old photo of the Souther saw mill is part of the outdoor display at the UCHS Mountain Life Museum. |