Georgia Natural Wonder #190 - Mills and Mary - Rockdale County (Part 2). 1,194

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Georgia Natural Wonder #190 - Mills and Mary - Rockdale County (Part 2)

This is our third Georgia Natural Wonder for Rockdale County. We posted about Panola Mountain with GNW #55 and we made our last post on the Milstead rapids on the Yellow River GNW #189. We did a tangent about the history of Rockdale County and found that most of the early settlements went up at Mills along the rocky creeks of the area.



Went looking for these Mills and stumbled upon a quite good local park and when combined with some other County Mill locations, I am designating this a separate wonder on the Mills of Rockdale County, giving us a chance to finish our tangent on Rockdale County.

Costley Mill

The Rockdale County area was first settled by the Cherokee and Creek Indians as noted in our last post. As a small group of white settlers migrated to Big Haynes Creek, the settlement grew to include the first school, a gristmill, a sawmill, a planning mill, and a cotton gin. This area became known as Rockdale County and Costley Mill. The name came from the owner, James Luther Thomas Costley. James married Mary Elizer (Eliza) Cook and had 10 children. He passed away on 27 Sep 1913.


JLT Costley.

James enlisted in the CSA in the spring of 1862. As a private in CO A, Cobb's Legion, GA Infantry James saw his share of the hostilities. James Costley was wounded severely on Nov 29, 1863, during a pre-dawn assault on Ft. Sanders, during the siege of Knoxville, TN. James was struck in the right jaw by a round of canister shot. His military records indicate that 2 inches of his right jaw, most of his teeth and half of his tongue were torn out by the shot. When he regained consciousness he realized that he was badly wounded. He could tell that his tongue was almost torn out of his mouth....he was afraid if he passed out he might swallow his tongue and choke to death. He took out his pocket knife and removed the loose portion of his tongue and promptly passed out. When he awoke, late that night, 2 of his fellow soldiers were trying to decide whether they should put this pure soul out of his misery, for no one could survive long with a wound like that, how could he eat with no teeth or tongue? Costley heard their questions and quickly mumbled that he could eat soup. He was carried to the field hospital and sent home to recover which he did with little problem eating anything he wanted including steak. He was fortunate that the winter of 1863 was the harshest anyone could remember, for it was so cold that when he awoke the portion of his tongue that he removed with his knife was frozen solid. The freezing weather was probably the only reason why he didn't bleed to death.



The mill survived General William Sherman’s March to the Sea during the Civil War in November 1864. The mill was left standing thanks to the cunning of its owner Mary Cook. Before the Union soldiers arrived at Costley Mill, Mary sacked all the flour and hid the sacks in the millpond. The wet flour caked and protected the rest. Miraculously, Mary's pleas and threats convinced the soldiers to leave her mill alone.



It burned in 1901, was rebuilt in 1904, and burned a final time in 1973. This was a tragic close to an era that began in the early 19th century.



Syl and Beverly Bowman purchased Costley Mill in May 1982. The Bowman’s had a vision of the beauty it could be. They invested time, effort and resources into renovating the land, preserving the historical significance, and bringing natural beauty.



The Bowman’s sold the property to Rockdale County in June 2017.



Costley Mill Park has multiple beautiful settings for weddings. This venue comfortably accommodates guests for a ceremony in a natural, elegant environment. The facility has large space and areas for smaller gatherings. Ceremonies can be held in the Event Center, Chapel, Outdoor Rotunda, Gazebo, or on the beach.



Beautiful park with a nice sandy beach area and a flowing creek. The creek rushes over large rocks. It's a nice and serene area by the water.



The newest addition to Rockdale County's Parks and Recreation.  It is absolutely a beautiful space for hiking, weddings (there is a chapel and gazebo), picnics, softball, and other activities.



For the trail, start at the north end of the parking area, just past the playground. You will pass a building with a sign for a hotel.



Then, quickly you will be able to immerse yourself in nature with the woods, birds, and gentle slopes. The red barn gives a picturesque setting where you can breathe in the fresh air while thinking back to a simpler time. You’ll pass other buildings, like the old moonshine still and hillside houses, which offer character and add interest to the environment.



As you head downhill, you will get some glimpses of the river. Bear right on a side trail to walk along the river where some lovely trees drape over the water. This is a dead end, so you will have to turn back. When you get back on track, you will head to the lake where you will the beach and the former mill area with the falls. It’s got history!



The beach and mill ruins are the main attractions at Costley Mill Park. It is a beautiful area! Originally, the property was part of a larger settlement of Big Haynes Creek, which grew to include the first school, a gristmill, a sawmill, a planning mill, and a cotton gin. The mill survived General Sherman’s March to the Sea only to burn down in 1901, be rebuilt in 1904 and then burn down again in 1973.



After this tragedy, the property was privately used for years for events until Rockdale County purchased it in 2017. The property continues to be used for events as well as for public use.Located on the northern side of the county off Highway 138, Costley Mill Park has seen many film and television productions over the past 40 years. Since the early 2000’s dozens of shows have taken advantage of the facility’s rustic and natural settings, providing locations for rivers, shoals, woods, rock formations, and even an underground mine.



Some of the recent filming productions that used locations in Costly Mill Park include the feature films An Actor Prepares, American Reunion, Coat of Many Colors, Devils Knot, Endless Love, Felt, ID Thief and Thank You For Your Service; and television productions Constantine, Greenleaf, Sleepy Hollow, The Originals and Vampire Diaries.



Great place to take your kids to have some fun.

TRD Addendum

Like I said, I stumbled across this place and the young lady allowed me to walk around the grounds for some photos. She was going to make me sign some paperwork to take some professional images. I read on line they charged for photos to others. But since I was just using a cell phone she let me slide.


TRD images.



The water rushes down the spillway by the Mill.



Then it comes down the main slide of Big Haynes Creek.



The ruins of the old mill looking back to the other structures in the park.



Panoramic of spillway by Mill.



Panoramic of Mill ruins.



Dial Mill

That was my main Natural Wonder for today's post. But I found this Internet information about Dial Mill, so I went looking for it.



Dial Mill is a historic gristmill and flour mill outside of Conyers, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 6, 1977.



The mill is a three-story frame building but as tall as a modern five-story building. It is made of hand-hewn virgin pine, with sixteen-inch square interior beams.



It has a one-story shed addition on the north side and an overhanging roof at first-floor level around the west and south sides.



The building has flour and corn milling equipment "with shuts and grain elevators containing an intricate system of belts and pulleys which carried grain from floor to floor during the milling process."



It is located northeast of Conyers off GA 138, near the historic Hightower Trail.



It is significant as one of the first mills in this area of Georgia.

TRD Addendum

I found this info about the Mill months ago and the rest of the images are from my visit there.


This is looking upstream on Little Haynes Creek from the bridge of Dial Mill Road.

There’s a legend about this mill. I heard stories about a granny who brandished a shotgun at Union soldiers as they passed through on their March from Atlanta...it didn’t get burned down so maybe true that she gave Sherman a tongue lashing like he had never heard. They sealed the deal with a shared smoke (twist) of tobacco. Sherman told his men that if anyone was to burn the mill he would personally split their skulls with his axe!


Difficult to photograph from Road.

Dial Mill is where the Gibboney’s spent a lot of money and time trying to refurbish it in the 1970’s. They eventually aged out of bringing it to life. There is a beautiful dam and waterfall upstream where the race started bringing water to the wheel. One of a few 3 story mills in Georgia. It had all the original equipment.


I went past the No Trespassing signs to get this image.

There is lots of history on Dial Mill Road going back to the 1800s. Dial Mill was the Hub for locals to come and fellowship in the smokehouse while waiting on their grains. There is a book that Dorothy Gibboney put together about the mill back in the day. There is Incredible information how the mill survived and how is was spared from Sherman burning it down. Although it is a cool place and lots of history I would NOT trespass on that property.....


Looking upstream from where I trespassed to photograph the Mill.

Another recounting of the Civil War story.

Almost four miles east of Philadelphia Church the 20th Corps crossed Big and Little Haynes Creeks to reach Dial Mill. This mill, built before 1830, was owned by James M. Summers. During his absence while serving in the Confederate army the mill was under the care of Mrs. Winnie Puckett. A Federal officer ordered dry corn shucks placed in the mill doorway and set afire. He had not counted on the small woman's determination. Winnie pleaded with him to spare the mill for the women and children of the area. The officer relented and to seal the deal Winnie offered him a tobacco twist she had in her apron pocket. Trusted Federal soldiers were left to protect the mill from other passing soldiers.


Aunt Winnie was a tough old broad.

Haralson Mill Bridge

Built in 1997, the covered wooden bridge replaces a historic ford, which crossed Haralson Mill Road, formerly an unimproved dirt road in North Rockdale County. This bridge is the first of its kind to be built in Georgia since the 1890s. The bridge is immediately north of the Haralson Mill Historic District. The setting is comprised of the Haralson Mill House, a general store, the old mill site, and a blacksmith shop.


TRD drove out to take these images.

In selecting the type of bridge, Rockdale County considered the importance of historic preservation of the area, as well as cost. The wooden bridge was chosen instead of the conventional concrete and steel structures commonly seen throughout the state because of its historical significance.



To retain the required attributes of the area, bridge designs from the early 1800s were considered.



Panoramic from inside bridge.



Well that does it for my third Georgia Natural Wonder for Rockdale County, the Mills portion anyway. I know I crossed the Natural and Man Made definitions of a Natural Wonder but I have long since passed that in designating a true Natural Wonder for this Forum. We wrap up Rockdale County with our second full tangent on the County.

Rockdale County (Part 2)

We covered Rockdale County up until around the time of World War II with our last post. In 1944, a group of 20 Cistercian monks, or "Trappists," from Kentucky arrived at the Conyers Depot to begin their monastic life in Georgia. On 2,000 acres that had once been a plantation. On land donated by the Archdiocese of Atlanta and silent film star Colleen Moore.


Colleen Moore.

These men shared a massive, whitewashed, red brick barn with their herd of Jersey cows. By the end of that year, they had built a pine board monastery with asbestos shingles. They called this structure home for the next 16 years. In 2005, the pine board monastery which housed their carpentry and stained glass businesses was destroyed in a fire.



The building of a permanent monastery was postponed after the death of the founder, Dom Frederic Dunne, who had funded construction. Many citizens of Rockdale County -- most of them Protestant -- joined communities across the nation in helping the Trappists finish The Monastery of The Holy Spirit. It stands today southeast of Conyers off Georgia Highway 212.



Currently the Monastery of the Holy Spirit is a community of forty-eight monks spanning several generations, who live, work and pray at the Abbey.


They die here too.

The main work of the monks at the monastery is prayer. The monks begin their day of prayer at 4 A.M. with vigils and a half hour of contemplation. They break at about 5:30 and return at 7 A.M. for Mass. Throughout their day of work in their many businesses and chores, the monks break for prayer at midmorning, midday(12:15), evening (vespers at 5:20) and compline (night prayer at 7:30). Grand silence for both monks and guests is required after 8 P.M. Retreat house guests are allowed and encouraged to pray with the monks in the Church. The Monks' living quarters remain private.



The monastery is sustained through the Abbey Store, and a bonsai garden plant and supply business.



There is also a stained glass manufacturing business, donations, a green cemetery, and onsite retreats - among other endeavors.



The monks at Holy Spirit operate a thriving retreat business. On the premises and adjoining the church is their dormitory style retreat house where separate floors for men and women accommodate individual and groups of guests for retreats scheduled almost year-round.



Retreatants are encouraged to leave a donation of at least $60–$100 per each night of their stay to help defray the cost of providing room and meals to retreatants. Reservations are encouraged as the retreat house is often booked many months in advance.



A public mass is held daily in the Abbey Church, which welcomes visitors, school children and retreat participants.



In the 1950s, Conyers had a Coca-Cola bottling facility. In 1957, Lithonia Lighting moved from Lithonia.



In the 1960s, Interstate 20 was built through the county. Gus Barksdale, Clarence Vaughn, Roland Reagan, and Harry Downs helped establish the community for the future by pushing for business expansion.The community began to change again. Olde Town Conyers gave way slowly to development along West Avenue and the I-20 access roads.


West Avenue.

Then growth spread south along Georgia Highway 20/138, creating a business district of bright signs and national chains. The original commercial center of Conyers is now Olde Town Conyers, populated by attorneys and specialty shops.


Highway 20/138.

With new schools and the highest paid teachers in the area, Conyers and Rockdale County became a draw for young families. With industrial development booming, residential taxes remained low. Access to Atlanta became quick and easy, and Rockdale residents seemed upbeat and positive. Native sons and daughters followed Sally Fanny Gleaton in gaining national recognition; the list includes country singer Brenda Lee.


You know, I read that Wikipedia and I do not see her connection to Rockdale County or Conyers. Born at Grady. She is the only woman in the Country AND Rock And Roll Halls of Fame.

Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter.


Broadcast News - The Piano - Raising Arizona

Federal Budget Director James Miller and many others.


James C. Miller III served Ronald Reagan.

In the 1970s, parts of the first five episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard were filmed in the town.


Season 2 episode 1.

In the 1990s, Conyers became known for "White Road", where resident Nancy Fowler claimed to have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Throughout the 1990s, Conyers played host to pilgrims.



From October 13, 1990, through October 13, 1998, Conyers housewife Nancy Fowler claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared to her and relayed messages to all citizens of the United States. The messages ranged from admonitions to prayers to warnings of war. The Virgin's supposed visits to Conyers, a suburban community about thirty miles east of Atlanta, make Conyers one of the longest-lived Marian apparition sites in the nation. In the early 1990s the roads to Conyers were clogged with pilgrims yearning to hear Mary's message. They came from every direction, but most were from heavily Hispanic southern Florida. They headed toward a large field adjacent to Fowler's home. Once there, they prayed on Mary's Holy Hill, filled bottles with water from the Blessed Well, or visited the small bookstore on the property.



At midday the pilgrims moved toward Fowler's farmhouse. Inside, Fowler waited for a message from the Virgin Mary in the Apparition Room; outside, members of Our Loving Mother's Children, the volunteer group that organized the Conyers gatherings, led the crowd in song and in prayer. The pilgrims prayed in their native tongues, including English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese. When Mary's message was broadcast over loudspeakers, the pilgrims raised their rosaries, icons, and petitions heavenward, hoping the items would be blessed by the presence of the Virgin Mary. Some claimed miracles at this site—rosaries turning to gold, the sun spinning and changing colors, and the scent of rose petals filling the air.



Fowler, a homemaker and the divorced wife of a retired air force officer, was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by her Roman Catholic father and her Eastern Rite Catholic mother. Her mystical experiences began in the 1980s, but it was not until October 13, 1990, that Fowler said the Virgin Mary instructed her to take her message to the public. Until May 13, 1994, the messages continued monthly. After that date they came only on October 13 of each year and after October 13, 1998, ceased completely. The Marian apparitions at Conyers are now part of the long history of appearances by the Virgin Mary that have been recorded since the Middle Ages, including the famous visions in Guadalupe, Mexico; Lourdes, France; and Fatima, Portugal.



Initially only several hundred people gathered to hear the Virgin Mary's messages at Conyers. The crowds steadily grew larger, however, until by 1993 groups as large as 80,000 were not uncommon. Local government officials became wary of the traffic, health, and safety problems posed by the huge crowds, and church officials in the Archdiocese of Atlanta became concerned that unconfirmed visions might distract from the true faith. But after 1998 pilgrimages to Conyers became less frequent. She publicly dissociated herself from Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc. in 1999. Later, she moved to Texas and quietly faded from view. In 2012, she died after a long battle with cancer.



TRD Adendum

Although Misty at the Visitor Center said there was nothing out here to see, I found a lot at The Farm.


There were several buildings, Welcome Center - Spirituality Center.


There were shrines all over the Property where the Virgin Mary apparitions occurred.


A very attractive Pilgrim spoke to me about the site and my visit. Said the last apparition happened in 1998 at the front left of this chapel. Other Pilgrims were Praying the Rosary on Mother Mary's Birthday 9/8/21.


This can't be a coincidence visiting the site on Mary's birthday. This divine intervention lets me title this post Mills and Mary.

In the early 1990s, several scenes of In the Heat of the Night were filmed around the Conyers Depot. Alan Autry, who played the character of Captain Bubba Skinner, was seen as a regular around Conyers during the filming.



The summer of 1996 was an exciting time in Conyers-Rockdale County’s history. Over 600,000 visitors visited the community during the period of the Centennial Olympic Games. Visitors thrilled to equestrian events, first-ever mountain bike competition and the final two events of the modern pentathlon at Conyers’ Olympic venue, the Georgia International Horse Park. The Olympics put Conyers and Rockdale County not only on the map but in the minds of thousands that soon began relocating their homes, families and businesses to the area.



As of 2013, the CW show The Originals began filming in Conyers.


They had an Originals Shrine in the Ice Cream shop in Conyers.

We have covered the main attractions for Rockdale County:

Georgia International Horse Park
Old Towne Conyers Historic District
Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Salem Campground
Smyrna Campground
Milstead Historic Mill Village
Panola Mountain State Park
Rockdale Baptist Church

One other place of interest in the county is Randy Poynter Lake at Black Shoals Park, a 650-acre reservoir and water sports recreation area.



It is stocked with many sport-fish varieties.



Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 132 square miles, of which 130 square miles is land and 2.3 square miles is water. It is the second-smallest county in Georgia by area, ahead of Clarke County.


Oversized map for enhanced detail.

The entirety of Rockdale County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Politics

The county has undergone a massive shift towards the Democratic Party, having shifted 36.2 points since 2000 as of 2020.


Did I mention the Confederate Memorial has been removed.

Notable people

Jill Arrington, ESPN college football reporter.


Tiffany.

Billy Buckner, former Major League Baseball player. 2,715 hits and 498 doubles, fourth-most assists by a first baseman (1,351) in major league history.


One Error.

Cartel  members - Will Pugh, Joseph Pepper, Jeff Lett, Nic Hudson, & Kevin Sanders


Cartel.

David Elder, former Major League Baseball player.



Dakota Fanning, actress.


Cherie Currie - Squeaky Fromme

Elle Fanning, actress.


Princess Aurora -  Catherine The Great.

John Mark Karr, JonBenét Ramsey's false confession murderer.


Jon - John - Still John

Clint Mathis, World Cup soccer player.



Jack McBrayer, actor.


Penny's big brother in Big Bang Theory.

Kevin Ware, college basketball player.


Horrific injury but Ware traveled with the Louisville team to the Final Four in Atlanta, where he sat alongside his teammates as they won the national championship game against Michigan.

E.R. Shipp, Pulitzer Prize recipient.



Damn, I learned a lot on that post. One last section of Yellow River with our next post. One more Girls of Rock GNW Gals, for Rockdale County.
Dakota Fanning playing Cherie Currie got me stuck on the first all girl Rock Group, The Runaways


Sandy West (Drums) - Jackie Fox (Bass) -  Lita Ford (Lead) - Joan Jett (Rhythm) - Cherie Currie (Vocals)

Bonus - TRD Nuggets for the Runways:



Run Away to Rockdale County: