Freeman's MillWelcome to Freeman's Mill, the last operating gristmill in Gwinnett County. From the late 1860s to 1986, Freeman's Mill provided wheat flour, corn meal and feed meal for the county's residents and their animals. Its pond afforded nearby Alcova Baptist Church with a Baptismal, and the millhouse itself provided a gathering place for the surrounding rural community.
In the 21st century, Freeman's Mill Park offers Gwinnett County residents a sense of its agricultural past. Grist milling was an important part of farming life in Gwinnett County. In 1840, the county had 33 gristmills. In 1880, there were 30. Once a common site on Georgia's Piedmont rivers, mills such as the Freeman's Mill are rapidly disappearing. The historical significance of this well-preserved mill property was recognized in 1998 when the mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2002, the mill property was acquired by Gwinnett County with funding available from the Georgia Greenspace Program. Gwinnett County recognizes the historical significance of this landmark, the only surviving water-powered gristmill in the county. In 2009, the mill was raised 5 feet in place to raise it above the 100-year flood elevation. The mill building will be renovated and preserved in the future to allow
tours of the interior.
Captions:Alcovy Road Bridge, Mill, 1971Customers at Freeman's Mill, 1912Lewis Swann's concrete waterfall, 1967
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