Marking time at Old Mill

As you wind your way down Mountain Brook Parkway through the canopy of oak, pine, and hickory, you come upon a scenic old mill on the banks of Shades Creek. It could easily be the cover photo of a rare and beautiful coffee table book.

The Old Mill (aptly named, seeing as it’s more than 80 years old) is not only an icon in Mountain Brook, it’s the official city logo.

According to The History of Mountain Brook by Madge Barefield (Jackson), the Old Mill was an integral part of the overall plan that visionary land developer Robert Jemison Jr. had for the city. Jemison wanted “a picturesque and special place where residents could drop by for a relaxing and refreshing period while horseback riding, or a choice spot for friends to meet for tea.”

Jemison, who’s been called “The Father of Birmingham,” worked with landscape architect William H. Kessler to design the mill and landscape its grounds. Lewis Ford, a local contractor, built the building in 1927 and it opened to the public as a tea-room on July 24, 1927. Even though Mountain Brook Parkway was still a dirt road at the time, people came from all around to soak up the atmosphere and dine at the mill. Prices for meals ranged from 50 cents to $1.75. There was a terrace with tables near the water where diners could listen to the gentle flapping of the wooden paddle wheel while they enjoyed meals and visited with friends.

Miss Frances Bomer was the hostess for the tea-room and Mrs. Robert Jemison Jr.--along with Mrs. Ross C. Smith, and Mrs. Crawford Johnson, Sr.--sewed the linen tablecloths and napkins by hand.

The tea room remained a popular destination for years, until the impact of the Great Depression found its way to the South. A number of people tried unsuccessfully to revive the popular spot, but money was tight and none of the owners could make enough to stay in business.

The Old Mill was an ideal visual marketing tool for Mountain Brook Estates, but it never actually ground any corn. There was, however, an earlier active mill on the property that did grind corn. It was built after the Civil War by John Perryman.

Perryman moved to Jefferson County around 1867 and purchased the land on Shades Creek. He used rock and mud from the site to build a small grist mill. Some years later, Perryman took on a partner, John Columbus Holcombe, and the two managed to support two large families from tolls collected from local farmers for grinding their corn.

The mill itself was not elaborate --it had no mill race (the channel that directs water over a mill wheel), and the wheel itself was horizontal, making for a left to right grinding action instead of the familiar top-to-bottom of the current mill wheel.

In 1887, the Jefferson County area enjoyed a land boom so Perryman and Holcombe decided to close the mill. Perryman sold his share in the mill and his surrounding land holdings for $65 an acre.

During dry periods when the water level in Shades Creek is low, the remnants of Perryman’s old dam are still visible. The original millstone was unearthed during construction, so builders used the stone for the current mill house’s massive fireplace.

In time, the property became a private residence and has been maintained by successive owners through the years. Vicky Henderson purchased the property from William B. O’Neal in 1999. Henderson says the mill house had flooded after Hurricane Opal in 1995. She and her son David Jr., along with one his friends, made their way to the house to help Mr. O’Neal clean the water, mud, and muck out of the mill building. They worked through the night cleaning the place, and Mr. O’Neal never forgot the kind deed. Vicky, David, and Mr. O’Neal became great friends.

Later, when Mr. O’Neal developed health problems and knew he would have to sell the property eventually, he sent word to Vicky that he wanted her to buy the mill house. She said no. She had loved the place since she was a young child, she told Mr. O’Neal, but she wanted him to stay there.

When his family decided to move him up north, he kept insisting that he wanted the property to go to someone who loved it as much as he did. As O’Neal once told her, “Any woman who would traipse down through snake-filled ivy to help an old man get mud out of his house belongs here.”

To show the Hendersons he meant business, he sent a lawyer to their home with a contract. After some back and forth, David Henderson Sr. asked Vicky if she really wanted the property. “I’ve wanted that house since I was five,” she told him. “I played in Shades Creek and I made up my mind I wanted to live there someday.” The Hendersons signed the contract, and became the new owners in 1999.

“The Old Mill is still a work in progress,” Henderson says. “We hired a contractor from Jasper to rebuild the bridge, and the interior has undergone extensive renovation.” She selected an interior decorator to assist with a great deal of work inside. Her goal was to maintain the original rustic charm of the original house. Future improvements will include lights on the bridge, in the trees, and over the water to make the property visible and appealing at night.

Her son David currently lives in the mill house, but Vicky and her daughter Ivy have also entertained family and friends at the landmark from time to time. The only downside to the mill, she says, is that many people think it’s open to the public. No matter how many “Private” signs are put up, people occasionally walk in to have a look around.

The Jefferson County Historical Association, the City of Mountain Brook, and Friends of Jemison Park erected a historical marker in December 2010.

One side of the marker is dedicated

to The Old Mill and the other to Robert Jemison Jr.

Tom West Jr., spokesman for the historical association, says the Old Mill is significant because of its age and the fact that there’s nothing else like it in Jefferson County. The structure was the first thing built in the Mountain Brook Estates subdivision.

The committee that made the Old Mill historical marker possible included Tom West Jr., Mountain Brook mayor Terry Oden, and Dr. Ed Stevenson. The City of Mountain Brook and the Friends of Jemison Park provided funding for the project.

Rick Watson’s book Remembering Big is available at The Little Professor Book Store in Homewood or online at www.homefolkmedia.com. You can contact him at rick@homefolkmedia.com