MEMORIES—Recently gathering to discuss the old Whitehead Mill were (seated, from left) Earlene Miles, Pauline Baker, Elvira Crouse; (standing) Irene Wagoner and Myrtle Taylor.

Locals say goodbye to old Whitehead Mill

In the early years of the last century, the Whitehead Mill played an integral part in its community, serving as a mill and a gathering site of sorts for those in the area.

The Whitehead Mill, located on the N.C. 18 side of Pine Swamp Road, was recently torn down. Alleghany residents Elvira Wagoner Crouse, Earlene Joines Miles, Pauline Richardson Baker, Myrtle Evans Taylor and Irene Richardson Wagoner shared their memories of the mill area.

According to Taylor, the Whitehead Mill was being operated in 1920 by her father Henry Evans who lived in a home referred to as “the old white house on the rock,” which is in excess of 100 years old and was put together in pegs. Taylor explained she had limited knowledge of the mill, noting her brother Glenn lost his life at age 7 when playing with other children in the vicinity of the wheel. In the early months of 1921, her father ceased operation of the mill because her mother Pearl “couldn’t stand to hear it running again” and subsequently moved away.

Wagoner was the last owner of the vacated mill, and not having grown up in the Whitehead area knew little about it. Growing up in the Fender Mountain area, she often came to the store for groceries.

Of the mill she commented, “It has been a landmark and we hate to see it gone.”

Of the time, Baker noted, “(People) had their own corn and their own wheat which was ground at the mill…they were taller than we were. When they would get the wheat out, they’d do huge bins of wheat and shelled corn, and those two things, we’d throw them in daddy’s granary, and we’re not allowed to touch that…but I remember those bins like it was yesterday.” Making mention of the mill’s layout, Baker stated her grandfather’s mill was surrounded by a porch that had a slanted area. “I remember so well being knocked off the porch while playing,” she said. Meanwhile, Baker stated she would go upstairs and watch her grandfather create shoes for a single foot. The opposite shoe, a duplicate, would have to be worn until it fit to your foot, she pointed out.

Memories

Crouse remembers the building enclosing the mill included a downstairs, which had an area for the miller, as well as an area for a carpenter to make small items of furniture and an area for caskets to be made upstairs by John Joines and Linville Richardson.

“I remember so very well that caskets were made over the mill and they had ample room for work up there and John Joines and Linville Richardson made caskets and they probably had help from other people.