In the north central part of the county, about 12 or so miles north east of Louisburg, is this beautiful mid-nineteenth century grist mill used for corn (and perhaps wheat) named Laurel Mill. Depending on whom you ask, where you're from or how much you know about Franklin County, the mill is located in either the area of Gupton, Oswego or Gold Sands. While all seem legitimate claims to me, the National Register of Historic Places puts Laurel Mill officially in the Gupton area. Not surprisingly, this picturesque spot, despite being deep in rural eastern North Carolina, has become a mecca for photographers both local and pilgrims. So common and iconic are images of Laurel Mill that folks are even selling stock photographs of it. Although there is a tourist element to blogging this, I felt it would be an even graver injustice not to include the mill at some stage, and today (with my wife driving and navigating) seemed like as good a time as any.While my image of Laurel Mill is far from the most skilled or artistic, it will for me (particularly taken from this perspective standing literally in the fork of two state roads) always conjure a memory, a feeling - intense quiet stillness broken only by the rush of water (on days like today) down the dam and over the rocks almost hissing as it moves - cavorting past the structure now, no longer turning the wheel to power the mill to do a job that, no doubt, many decades ago created a vibrancy associated with commerce and socializing - funny that after all our growth and development now we only hear the water ... uninterrupted by people or their work.
This expansive open land is back down Laurel Mill Road toward NC Highway 561 and the return trip to Louisburg. By including it, I was hoping to give some sense of the remoteness of the mill these days.
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