Historic Yates Mill, Raleigh NC a View into History

NC Greenway – Historic Yates Mill Report 1: The Mill


Background:
Historic Yates Mills County Park is a joint effort of Yates Mill Associates, Inc. and Wake County Parks Department. The land under both the mill and the parkland is owned by North Carolina State University that maintains an on site educational classroom facility and research fields nearby.

The water powered “grist” mill operated on Steep Creek for over 200 years.

The mill sits on the corner of a twenty acre mill pond that is itself in one corner of the 174 acre park.

From Raleigh the easiest way to reach the park is to take I440 to the Lake Wheeler exit (exit 287) and Lake Wheeler Rd. south. (away from the farmers market) Go across Tryon Rd. (at the light) and proceed south for about 1 1/2 miles. When you see Mid Pines Rd. on your right, the park entrance will be coming up 1/3 mile on the right.

If you reach Penny Rd. on your right you have just passed the park and will need to turn around.

The ride, though short, is pretty pleasant. Once you cross Tryon Rd. most of the land on either side is part of NC State and better yet is dedicated to agriculture. Both horses and cattle can be seen in the fields bordering the road.

As you enter into the Park off Wheeler Lake Rd. you notice immediately the curving entry way is as wide and a bit better paved than the road. Both sides are green and bountiful with small life. The parking lot is large, neat and well proportioned. There is a large building at the far end of the parking lot.

This building contains a museum about the mill and milling on one end. It is air conditioned which can be quite a relief on a hot Carolina day. In the museum there are numerous exhibits including quite a few that allow you to physically get hands on with the equipment.

As and educational museum, though small, it has a plethora of educational material about the mills and there workings. In addition to buttons that run short films on TV screens, they have a small theater with showings of longer films twice a day. (currently 10 and 4)