I’ve had the pleasure (?) of travelling back and forth to Greensboro, NC multiple times over the last couple of months for work. Greensboro is an interesting place, but that’s not what this post is about.
Travelling down Highway 68 to get to the facility, I noticed an old mill in the booming metropolis of Oak Ridge, NC.
On one particularly bright Sunday afternoon, I was able to escape early and visit the mill in hopes of grabbing some pictures.
The Old Mill of Guilford was founded in 1767 and continues operation to this day. Most of the actually milling equipment has been updated or replaced to meet modern health requirements, but the place is a wonder of times gone by.
You enter the mill through the grinding room and there is a small shop selling some of the ground products. I bought small packages of grits and muesli, and got to talking with the clerk while checking out. She described a bit of the history of the mill and it’s operation. It’s a family owned/run organization but she was not a family member I was told.
We chatted for a bit, and I asked her if I could walk around and grab some photos. I had the Fuji X100f with me, and went outside and began looking around. The light was very bright and harsh, but I think the shots came out fairly well:
It was a lovely old place, and it was amazing to see that it was under private ownership and still being operated as a mill. I can’t imagine it generates a lot of revenue, but obviously enough to keep the property from being sold to a developer. Good for the owners.
After spending nearly 2 weeks in Greensboro, Melanie and I decided to take some time off and drive in the new (to us) car from Front Royal to Cherokee along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
It was a grand trip, and more about that next time.
