BEAN'S MILL- OPELICKA, ALABAMA - Water Mills on Waymarking.com

In 1832, Kotch,ar Yoholo owned the site. Moses Wheat and son, Francis, owned saw and grist mills on this site in the late 1830s. Francis died in 1838 from an accident at the mills. In 1852 the property was owned by John 'Jack' Floyd and son, James C. In 1858 John sold his share to James, who took Hiram Murphy as a partner. The Grist Mill washed out in 1874 and was replaced with a structure on stone foundations above normal high water. The mill remained in the Floyd Family until 1899. It is the only one left of several mills once located on Halawakee Creek.

Here in 1897 the first iron bridge in Lee County was built. In 1903 George W. Bean bought the mill, operating it until his death in 1952. About 1910 Bean installed an iron overshot wheel to replace the old turbine. Later, the dam height was raised two feet. On March 30, 1939, FDR on his way to Warm Springs stopped his motorcade for a visit. In 1989 John M. Ross purchased the deteriorated mill with 80 acres. Ross reconstructed the mill to operating condition in 1997. On October 1, 1997, the Alabama Historical Commission placed it on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

This mill looks like with some renovations that it could operate today. From the information gathered it appears that since 1997 it has not been kept up. It is a very interesting and lovely palce to visit.

Current Status: Ruin Current Use: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/19/2009 Sprinterman visited it

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