Springtime at Mabry Mill

by Norma Brandsberg

Title

Springtime at Mabry Mill

Artist

Norma Brandsberg

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, along the Appalachian Mountains, there is an iconic old, historic mill, a favorite place to visit. Mabry Mill is magical in the golden hour before sunset, in the morning, when the sun casts it's glow over the countryside. We camped here for a night and experienced a torrential thunderstorm. We had visions of our trailer blowing over during the night. By morning all was calm and we finished off our visit with buckwheat pancakes the following morning in the nearby mill store.

Around 1905 Ed and his wife Lizzie Mabry set in motion actions to realize the dream of their own gristmill. With the help of a neighbor, Newton Hylton, they built the gristmill, waterwheel, and water supply flume system with hard work and hand tools. By 1908 the gristmill was in operation and people from as far away as eight miles were bringing their corn to be ground. Also by this time Ed Mabry was ready to move on to his next project which was to build a sawmill on the left side of the gristmill. While Ed was busy building the sawmill, Lizzie took over the milling duties at the gristmill. Many said Lizzie was the better miller of the two. There was a problem though. Because the streams used to supply water to the mills were small, there was not enough needed water power. Due to the lack of water power, the process of grinding the corn at the Mabrys’ mill took longer than at some of the other nearby mills. Mills with plenty of water power would at times grind too fast. The resulting friction turned to heat which would then burn and scorch the corn meal leaving it tasting bitter. Because of the low water power problem at the Mabrys’ mill, it was known as a slow grinder. Due to this problem the Mabrys could not grind the corn fast, but they also never burned or scorched the corn meal which resulted in some of the best tasting corn meal around. This news spread fast which brought many loyal customers to the Mabry’s little mill.

Soon the sawmill was finished and Ed began to build a woodworking shop on the right side of the grist mill. This shop had a double-bladed jigsaw, a wood lathe and a tongue and groover all run by the water-powered waterwheel. This completed the gristmill complex with the sawmill, gristmill and woodworking shop all attached.

For convenience sake, the Mabrys now decided to build a new blacksmith/wheelwright shop beside the gristmill complex. This was around 1913-1914. Later, after many years of hard work building up their business at the mill site, Ed and Lizzie decided to build a new house for themselves. Sometime around 1918-1920 the Mabrys built by their own hands and skill a two-story white farmhouse. The approximate site of that house is where the Matthews’ cabin is located at Mabry Mill today.

The National Park Service acquired the Mabry Mill property in 1938 after Ed died and Lizzie moved away. The gristmill complex and the blacksmith/wheelwright shop were deemed historically significant by the Park Service as representing the rich cultural past of the Blue Ridge Mountain region. In 1942 those structures were completely restored, giving the Blue Ridge Parkway yet another gem along its beautiful winding 469 miles through the heart of Appalachia. Every year Mabry Mill, the legacy which Ed and Lizzie left us, is visited by people from all over the world. We invite everyone to come visit us here. Enjoy some great food, great music, great history, great people, and all that is Mabry Mill.

Thank you for visiting my gallery store!! All my artwork is available in quality museum type materials meant to give you years of enjoyment. canvas prints, framed prints, acrylic, metal prints, wood prints, or posters in a variety of sizes types of papers.

Looking for a birthday, anniversary or Christmas present? Feel free to peruse my galleries. My store has all kinds of household goods, throw pillows/covers, tapestries, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, beach and bath towels, tote bags, phone cases for iPhones and Android phones, t-shirts and sweatshirts, mugs, yoga mats, and spiral notebooks.

All products are guaranteed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Uploaded

August 28th, 2019

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