The small stone mill was built in 1944 for Mary Hambidge, founder of the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. The mill occupies a site that has known a mill since the time of the first settlers into Betty Creek Valley in the 1820's.

The mill employs a 12' wheel that transfers power from Barker's Creek by way of chain-driven sprockets and belted pulleys to power a Meadows Meal Master mill that uses a set of 16' granite/flint stones on the second floor. The optimum for grinding fine corn meal is 650 rpm.

Woody Malot, Physics instructor at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, likes to grind non-hybrid, local heirloom varieties of corn. Whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour and corn for meal and grits are produced and sold. *Update: The mill is open to the public the first Saturday of each month from Noon until 4:00 pm. Woody Malot 02/02/2007*

The mill has been renovated 3 times, the latest in last few years of the 1980's. The wooden spoked wheel was converted to a metal spoked wheel in the 1960's. *Photos and some information provided by Grady Allen 07/10/2006*

The mill sits near the last large fall of water into Betty Creek Valley, snuggled by dogwoods and rododendron, with beatiful views of the valley and the mountains in the distance. *Update: I took the Barker Creek Mill back about 15 or so years ago when it had been neglected and abandoned and vandalized, trees fallen against the dam, and the pond totally filled-in with dirt, and I restored it. Yes, I lived in my van next to the mill, moved my Yamaha keyboard in the mill, and lived there several months for two years. It was the great time of my life. I had been a "fellow" at the Hambidge Center and afterward asked the community if I could restore it (it belonged to the Betty Creek people) I sat next to the stream and wrote my novel, The White Savages - Miracles of the Hawk Crosses. (free for now at http://smashwords.com) My characters appeared daily on the "screen" that appeared in the mist over the little dam. My first customer was an old man who came in with a bag of dried corn over his shoulder and said, "Grind 'er coarse, son!" and winked at me. "Yes Sir, coarse it is." It's been a p/t working mill since. God gives us special gifts in our lifetime. This was one of them to me! Dennis Hooker O3/01/2010*