My family spent last Saturday morning having breakfast at the Readyville Mill outside of Murfreesboro, TN. The mill produces a variety of flours and grits for sale, and has a restaurant that operates on Saturday mornings. I decided to share these photos, because I think that there is an amazing amount of craftsmanship in these buildings.
The owner of the mill was grinding corn into meal as well as producing grits and chicken feed at the same time. He stated that he bought the mill in 2006 several decades after the mill stopped operating. He spent 5 years making improvements and reopened in the mill in 2011.
Here are several chutes that the grain travels down to the grinding floor after it is cleaned.
Right now the owner is using an electric grinder. The original grindstones were operated by a turbine underneath the building. The owner is attempting to make this functional again but needs additional funding.
The 2nd floor is used for storage after the grain is cleaned.
We noticed how the funnels were created out of wood rather than tin.
Here is the original grainery that has been converted into a restaurant and store. The entire building rests on an outcropping of limestone. There is a reason Tennessee's called Rocky Top. I also really admire how they used several old millstones as footings on the porch.
Looks like it's taken me almost a week to get this out, oh well... Hope you enjoy!
If you would like to visit the mill yourself,, here is their website:
http://www.readyvillemill.com