Alford's Mill
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 30° 59.307 W 086° 03.614
16R E 589728 N 3428700
Located in extreme northern Walton County on Oak Grove Rd. near the Alabama line.
Waymark Code: WMNXV7
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/20/2015
Views: 5
Near this location, Marion Alford established in 1864 a water-powered grist mill that became the focal point of a small farming community that developed on this area of north Walton County. Archaeological remains of the mill dam and foundations still exist along Limestone Creek. Mills played a very important role in the growth of rural Florida communities in the nineteenth and very early twentieth centuries. Alford's Mill provided corn meal, a staple of the local diet, and a gathering place for those who lived and worked in the nearby forests and fields. The community, known as Alford's Mill until early 1880s when the settlement was renamed Limestone, also included a post office and stage coach stop, churches, cemeteries, homesteads and farms. In 1883 the mill was sold to the Chandlers who operated the facility until 1893 when the Alford family reacquired the grist mill. In 1897 Alford's Mill was converted to a sawmill which operated until 1904, when the mill at last fell silent as the age of water-power came to an end.
Marker Number: F-621
Date: 2008
County: Walton
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: The Walton County Public Works and the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.