Around this time of year, almost exactly a year ago, I was given a special opportunity to explore Healan's-Head's Mill (under supervision, of course) and learn about the rich history behind the mill.
I wrote about all of that here, and I took many pictures. Even in the state of decay, it was a beautiful structure.
Thursday, I was in a Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce luncheon, anxiously waiting to see what the mill looked like now. Becky Ruffner, who lived at the mill as a kid and young adult, shared a progress update and photos from the project.
Work on the mill is nearly at the end of Stage One, which included the most pressing needs: foundation, outside siding and roof repair or reconstruction. This phase was funded by SPLOST VII, which was approved and voted on by the citizens of Hall County in March of 2015. She said this phase should be complete by mid-April.
During her presentation, Ruffner showed some before, during and after photos, explaining what had gone wrong and what they did to fix it in Phase One. Ruffner said the roof was in very bad condition, the front porch had even collapsed and fallen off.
"Notice there's a tarp over the roof. The roof was in very bad condition, it was leaking. The porch that was on the side was really beginning to fall off, it was rotten. You can see the kudzu was growing up the side of the building, there are ropes out there really holding the building in place. The front porch had collapsed and fall off," Ruffner described a before picture.
Ruffner said they removed the front porch, and were told it was likely not salvageable. But, because the mill is on the National Register of Historic Places, they had to keep as much of the original structure as they can. "The unfortunate piece is, there was so much damage and deterioration to the structure that a lot of it had to be replaced."
The structure was "literally sitting on piles of rocks, being held up by a few rotten timbers," Ruffner said. "At this point, the structure is leaning fairly dramatically in to the river." The crews used outside and inside bracing and cribbing and levitating to build a new foundation, building retaining walls and new stonework, and bracing the mill wheel. They also replaced the siding, which was stained two weeks ago thanks to a donation from Gainesville Paint.
The original mill stone was also located during Phase One, and it is in safekeeping along with other artifacts.
The project "Dream Team," as Ruffner put it, consisted of Larry West, Project Manager; Larry Bowman, Structural Engineer; Chris Robinson, Construction Manager; Garland Reynolds, Architect. They were also working on two additional structures on the property, the Blacksmith's Shop and a barn.
Phase Two is for acquiring additional property around the mill; Phase Three is renovation time for the interior, including the functionality of the mill stone and all of it's parts; Phase Four is the construction of a Visitor's and Heritage Center, including walking trails and amenities.
Interested in helping? Donor level sponsorships are available here.
