Shades Creek Mill Wheel

Back in the summer I posted this photo, in conjunction with some others, depicting the Old Mill at Shades Creek in Mountain Brook. But since then I have learned some more about the mill's wheel that I thought to be worth sharing.

Minolta SRT 202, Vivitar MC 135mm f/2.8, Kodak Gold 200

Though the main structure stands largely as it was constructed in 1926, the wheel had fallen into disrepair and rot by the turn of the millennium. Mike Franklin and John Parker were commissioned to build a new wheel that would restore this Mountain Brook icon to a stately condition. This required them to remove the old will by crane. Then using the old wheel as a template and salvaging as much of the old frame as possible, they constructed the current functioning wheel, which works by pump. Upon finishing the new wheel, family and others watched as the new wheel was installed in the 2002 or  2003.

And if Shades Creek is of particular interest to you, another recent post regarding that little watershed can be found here.

Technorati Tags: alabama, mountain brook, old mill, shades creek