In an old mill, reminiscent of years gone by, walls are tagged with graffiti — something that has become part of its history. Next to a busy road full of cars passing by, this is an unlikely place to find a flashback to an earlier time — the 1750s.
At one time, the city of Raleigh was once home to over 70 gristmills. Today, Yates Mill is the one that remains, according to Leslie Hawkins, graduate student in history and a public history intern at Yates Mill.
According to a pamphlet from the Mill, N.C. State acquired the mill’s title in 1963. The pamphlet said Yates Mill’s property was part of a one thousand acre tract purchased for the University’s field laboratory’s experimental farms.
“Gristmills traditionally were areas where corn was turned into mill and wheat was turned into flour,” Hawkins said
Hawkins said she is writing her thesis on gristmills in different parts of the county and the development of communities around them. The mill runs with water alone — one of the goals of the Yates Mill Associates — a Wake County historical society — was to never run the mill on electricity.
She said in the original days of the mill, it served multiple purposes.
“When people went to a gristmill, it wasn’t just for meal or flour” Hawkins said. “There was once a blacksmith, two different residences and a community store. This is where people from all around could gather and catch up on the news, grab a snack from the old country store, go boating or get there tools worked on.”
In her research, Hawkins has learned of the mill’s history. According to a history pamphlet from the mill, including the local legend which tells of a past owner of the mill who was rumored to be involved in a murder.
“Franklin was a northern sympathizer,” Hawkins said. “Penny allegedly killed him for an unpaid mill debt.”
Franklin’s widow told the Union troops, who were occupying Raleigh at the time, that his death was brought on because of his loyalty to the north. The legend goes that the Union troops then tried to set the mill on fire.
According to Hawkins, the charred wooden beams at the entrance of Yates Mill are all that is left that suggest a fire took place there. Penny was tried for his crime and found innocent.
Not only does this local spot offer a building steeped in history, but from 8 a.m. until dusk, visitors can walk along the hiking trails. According to one of Yates Mill’s brochures there are twenty different kinds of trees that are identified along the trails.
“Students can enjoy a picnic by the lake, or go fishing off of either on one of the boardwalks. There are canoe floats in summer and early fall,” Hawkins said.
John Vanderbergh, professor emeritus in the department of Zoology who is involved with the restoration of the mill, said a visit to Yates is a chance for relaxation. “The park is a great way for students to unwind. The 20-acre lake, a couple of miles of trails, lots of wildlife could make for an interesting break,” Vanderbergh said in e-mail. “Tours of the mill are given every weekend and, on the third weekend of the month, we demonstrate corn grinding.”
Hawkins said the mill is often overlooked.
“Although most of the 93,000 people that visited the mill in its first year were locals, people have come from as far away as the Philippines and Germany,” said Hawkins. “People tell me they drive by all the time and never realized the park was here.”
