Gilreath's Mill - Greer, SC
N 34° 58.387 W 082° 16.700
17S E 383308 N 3870808
Quick Description: Also known as Heller's Mill, Bruce's Mill and Taylor's Mill located near Greer, SC.
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 7/18/2008 8:49:29 AM
Waymark Code: WM47EV
Views: 80
Long Description:Gilreath Mill was a rural grist mill that served the area for 138
years before being shut down. Is it listed on the National Register
of Historic Sites. Built in 1812 (in 2008 this is 196 years ago),
it was originally constructed as a corn mill. Back then a farmer
paid for the milling of his grain by a toll to the miller. The rate
varied, but the miller generally received one bushel of corn for
every 8 bushels processed.
There are still a lot of the basic elements present that a grist
mill required: a Pond, a Dam, the Raceway(this one was both earthen
and wooden(rotted away), the Water Wheel and somn of the gears and
mechanisms that transform water power into mechanical energy. Of
course, much of this is now in unusable condition.
The original Dam was located 750 feet up stream from the mill
and was 12 feet high. It was made of wooden planks braced by
timbers. The mill pond covered about 2 acres. The water was
diverted through an earthen raceway to a point where it entered a
wooden raceway about 80 feet long which carried water to the top of
the Water Wheel.
NOTE the Water Wheel when you visit. Most people do not realize
that the wheel has a toothed gear ring along its edge(look for the
“teeth” on the outside edge of the wheel). This is what turned a
shaft that ran from the wheel into the mill itself to turn the mill
stones. The water wheel is 24 feet in diameter and 3 feet wide!
Note also you can see the foundation of a Sawmill just down from
the wheel, which was powered by the water wheel as well.
-Info from geocache listing GC19C9Z