John Cable Mill

 The Cable Mill which was built by John Cable in 1867, is one of the most popular landmarks in Cades Cove. In the late 1800s, this mill provided homesteads with a place to turn corn or wheat into flour for making bread. In addition to converting grains into flour, the mill was used to mill lumber. In fact, the farmhouse a brief walk away was made out of lumber cut on this very mill.

The mechanics of the eleven-foot tall wheel were well designed but simple. The large water wheel that drives the grist mill is an overshot mill – this simply means that the fast-flowing mountain streams strikes the top of the wheel. As the wheel turns, it drives a runner stone that turns. There is a very small gap between the runner stone and the stationary stone below and the corn or grain is fed into this area from a gravity-fed hopper. The miller, which was quite skilled in his trade, could position the corn or grain at a certain spot on the stone to achieve the desired fineness of the cut. I happened to get a shot of the miller that day (excuse the noise) it was a dark rainy day and it was virtually pitch black with no light inside the mill and I was fumbling around with my settings to get a quick shot so I know the ISO was sky high.

The Miller

Thanks for stopping!

Leave a Reply

John Cable Mill