Jackson County Georgia was originally home to a few Revolutionary War veterans whom began to settle the area around 1784. By 1796, the county was officially created and named after Revolutionary War General James Jackson.
In 1815, Jonathan Sell purchased 500 acres of land around Indian Creek. His wife gave birth to a son (Leonidus Franklin) in 1862. Around 1914, Frank Sells (who grew up to become a legislature for Jackson County), built the structure as a home, a supply of electricity for the surrounding farms and a grist mill for grinding grain. Not much information is available about the mill, or Frank Sells other than he married Angie Maynard in 1900, but never had children of their own.
The mill continued to grind corn well into the 1990's. Today the land is a public park with a covered pavilion, playground, and picnic tables. The 3 story mill is still in tact and can be rented for gatherings. The day I visited the park, work was being done by the country on the creek to remove a large build up of sludge. The old dam is well preserved, but gates on either side prevent you from walking across the ridge.
The mill is set near a large granite outcrop that is super slippery when wet, so be careful if you choose to cross the creek when the flow is low. Not much here to do or explore, but old historic buildings are always a treat nonetheless. I am working on information about a covered bridge that once stood not to far from this mill. Hopefully I can create a yelp page for it soon, although it no longer exits. I just love how remnants of history still remain in plain sight and go unnoticed by most.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It is strange to see the old mill is only painted on the creek side of the structure. I thought maybe they weren't completely finished with renovations, but every picture I googled seems to show the same single-sided paint job. Surely the county has enough money from renting this place to paint all four sides. But just like any available history of this place, the paint job too will remain a mystery!
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