Athens in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Making Things in the Mill

Sawing

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 19, 2021

1. Making Things in the Mill Marker

Inscription. Coming to the sawmill with felled trees, the settlers would leave with sawn timber to build their houses, barns and furniture.

Water powered the saw cutting blades for the frontier millers. At the early sawmills, the saw blades were rectangular and moved up and down. Gears and shafts changed the turning motion of the waterwheel into this vertical motion. Waterpower also provided pressure to push the huge trees against the powerful cutting blades. The trees were cut into very large beams for building houses, and smaller lumber for other uses. The first sawmills produced rough sawn products. Later mills used smaller water-powered planers and lathes to smooth the wood.

(captions)<
Sawyer
Using water to move the large rectangular blades called sash saws up and doum, sawyers would cut the settlers' huge trees into lumber for buildings, wagons furniture, toys and other needs of the frontier family

Sawmill
At the early sawmills, the logs were floated into the mill from the millpond. A chain with hooks pulled the logs into the large water-powered saws, and the cut wood was stacked for drying.

Topics. This historical

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 33° 57.492′ N, 83° 21.97′ W. Marker is in Athens, Georgia, in Athens-Clarke County. It can be reached from East Broad Street east of First Street, on the right when traveling east. Located in Cook & Brother Plaza. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1177 E Broad St, Athens GA 30601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Classic City Area

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Making Things in the Mill (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Making Things in the Mill

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 19, 2022

2. Making Things in the Mill Marker

(here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Making Things in the Mill (here, next to this marker); The Millstone (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Making Things in the Mill (a few steps from this marker); Water Power (a few steps from this marker); Cook & Brother Armory Building (a few steps from this marker); Mill Products (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Athens.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 226 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 17, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 2. submitted on September 18, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.