Mills of Oregon County

Mills of Oregon County. Friends of the 11 Point. , Mills of Oregon County , Friends of the 11 Point, A Step Back in Time , Appearing peaceful and undisturbed today, Greer Spring has a long colorful history leading up to its purchase in 1993 by the U.S. Forest Service. , Thomas Simpson first settled the spring area in 1854 and was followed by Samuel Greer in 1859. Greer built the first mill on the Spring Branch in 1860. During the Civil War, Greer served as a captain in the Confederate Army and returned to find his mill destroyed by bushwhackers. Determined to succeed, Capt. Greer rebuilt the mill and dam and resumed operations, grinding corn, ginning cotton, and sawing timber. This mill was removed in 1883 to make room for a larger dam, turbine, and roller mill., Built high on the ridge near the trail (now Hwy 19) the Greer Roller Mill was powered by cables running up from the spring branch. Completed in 1899, the mill was sold to George Mainprize who operated it successfully for ten years before selling in turn., In 1904 Greer sold his land, including the spring to Louis Houck. Several owners ran the mill until it was closed in 1920 when cheaper sources of power, and flour, became common. Finally in 1922 the mill was purchase by Louis E. Dennig who had acquired the 7000 acres surrounding the spring., Three generations of the Dennig family protected the spring up to the time of the Forest Service purchase. Good stewardship has returned the Greer Spring Area to near native appearance., Peaceful and Powerful , Just below a cave outlet, is the gentle rolling "boil" of Greer Spring. The waters are clear, deep, and always fifty-five degrees (55°F). The tumbling spring ranch appears serene and undisturbed today... , But you can feel the power in the roar of the water as it falls seventy feet over the mile run to the Eleven Point River. Two-hundred-twenty million gallons per day (220,000,000), weighing over a billion pounds, have carved this deep valley over thousands of years., This powerful spring was first harnessed in 1860 by Samuel Greer who built a water driven mill near this spot. Destroyed by bushwhackers, the mill was rebuilt with a dam to store the water's energy. Long before electricity or combustion engines were available, these water wheels powered mill machines to grind corn, gin cotton and saw the large native logs into lumber. , In 1899 a larger roller mill was completed on quarter mile up the ridge from the spring. Using a unique system of cables carried by large wheels, power was transferred from a turbine in the dam up to the heavy mill machines. This mill was operated until 1920 and stands quiet today on private property.