The restored Healan Mill, Hall County.
Featured in today's post are three beautiful old mills located in a relatively compact area of northeast Georgia between Gainesville and Clarkesville.
First is the Healan Mill, on the headwaters of the North Oconee River at 5751 Whitehall Road, off U.S. Highway 23 north of Gainesville. It has been fully restored as the centerpiece of a new Hall County park.
Built by William "Billy" Head in 1852 and originally known as Head's Mill, the mill has gone through a series of owners during its colorful history -- Heard, Shore, Hyde, and Turner were some of the names -- and finally, it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Healan, whose name stuck. During the Civil War, the legend says that Billy Head and his wife used a hollowed-out log under the mill wheel to hide gold and silver from raiders. Later, around the turn of the century, a wine press, cotton gin, and sawmill were added to the mill's operations.
Ragsdale Mill, Banks County.
On Mt. Olivet road, in a secluded valley east of Homer, is the Ragsdale Mill on Nail's Creek.
The first mill on the creek was built sometime before 1837. The Reverend Ragsdale, who was a man of many facets, acquired the mill site and 257 acres of land from his father in 1853 and built the mill in 1863. The millstones were imported from France and brought into Savannah by blockade runners bypassing the U.S. Navy guarding the port. In its heyday, the mill also included a threshing machine and a sawmill.
The site includes the Ragsdale homestead and a Grange Hall, which also served as a schoolhouse. The Reverend Ragsdale was a visionary who hoped to establish a town to be called Nail's Creek, with the church, the mill, the Grange Hall, and the school as its nucleus.
The town never materialized, but perhaps it's just as well. This is one of the most serene and beautiful places to which my Georgia travels have taken me. The Sisk family, who now own the property, have thoughtfully provided picnic tables and chairs in which to sit and enjoy the peace.
Short's Mill, Habersham County.
One of my all-time favorite mills. I use this picture as the screen-saver on my computer, so I look at it every day.
Also known as Laudermilk (or Loudermilk) Mill, Short's Mill on Little Hazel Creek was probably built in 1880, although some sources say the mid-1800s. Operations ceased in 1970, but even after more than 50 years the structure appears to be in remarkably good condition. The sluiceway is long gone, of course, but the overshot wheel is still in place.
The mill is about four miles south of Clarkesville and is set well back on the east side of the road. If you're coming from the south it will be difficult to see until you are almost past it.
Adapted from my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia.
About the photographs: The Healan Mill was photographed on January 23, 2018, with a Fuji X-Pro1 digital camera and the Fujinon XF 27mm lens. The Ragsdale Mill was photograhed on October 27, 2016, with a Canon EOS 6D camera and the Canon EF 28-105mm lens. For Short's Mill, which I photographed on October 11, 2010, I used a Canon EOS 5D Classic with the Canon EF 24-85mm lens.
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Photography and text copyright 2025 David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.
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