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Miss Sadie’s Mill – the Original Big Mill

“Miss Sadie” James ran the Big Mill gristmill
for as long as I can remember.

Grist Mill namesake for Big Mill BB near Greenville

Miss Sadie & Chloe at the Store.

In the 1940’s prior to when she and her husband, Columbus, bought it, it had been a water-powered sawmill. It was converted to a grist mill, the stones to grind the corn were shipped over from England.

Sometime later in the night, the dam was blown up. After that there was a long pulley attached to a tractor that powered the mill. It was a fascinating place where you could get the best ground corn meal ever.

Miss Sadie James's Big Mill near Greenville

The Old Mill in disrepair – sadly it is gone now.

I rode my bicycle there every day. Sometimes I played in the creek behind the mill, but more often I just talked to Miss Sadie. Often nephews Barney or Monk went with me – at times we rode a mule or drove an old pickup truck before we were legal.

Miss Sadie also had a small country store and sold things like penny candy and small Coca Cola in a bottle – she kept her drinks in one of those box-type coolers.

She lived in the store too. And she had a big gun…folks tried to rob her several times; but they were foiled.

Big Mill Country Store in Williamston NC

Kristie, Chloe & Miss Sadie in Miss Sadie’s Store

Other folks thought she was odd, but not to me. She had one light bulb and no running water. She cooked on top of a pot belly stove, she wore her dead husband’s shoes. Fine with me.

Ben Roberson bought the mill and moved it to his farm. He and his wife Mary resurrected a great mill. It has all the parts, but it is different – still wonderful.

The mill had such fascinating parts.

Water powered mill in Williamston NC

old gears at grist mill in Williamston NC near Big Mill BB
(New photo, guess you can tell by the WD-40)

Old gears and pulleys of water powered grist mill

Old grist mill in North Carolina

Ben’s Mill on Holly Springs Church Road in Williamston – made from gears and parts of Miss Sadie’s Big Mill

P.S. thanks to all the Chloe’s Blog readers who told me that I can’t spell “Dam.” Too funny.

Chloe Tuttle Big Mill Bed and Breakfast near Greenville NCfrom Innkeeper at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast 252-792-8787

 

Chloe Tuttle
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