Hagood Mill C-1845

I had to replace the modem in my computer AGAIN before I could get online today...I should be saving the old ones I could make one of those weird yard art displays with all of them...I dont know why but since the phone company came out and added another box thing outside every dang electric strom we have fries my modem...I run to disconnect it but sometimes its the FIRST ~strike~ that gets it..I dont have enough warning and BANG too late...so I just ordered 2 more modems to keep on hand, good thing they are cheap!!

SO....Another fun thing I did last weekend was stop and visit the Hagood Mill. Its located outside Pickens, SC a small upstate town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Mts...The mill was closed that day, which meant none of the buildings were open and the wheel was not turning, so you know what that means? GOTTA GO BACK AGAIN SOMETIMES!!

Most of the things on my bucket list have a second visit box that needs to be checked off, seems I can never see everything in one visit...I'd love to see this wheel turning with water spilling over it-- I got to wander around and take photos and here are a few of them. When the site is open the mill is running, the cotton gin is ginning, the blacksmith is smithing, and the ladies are quilting...so its kinda a SC style Williamsburg--

This mill produced 40,000 lbs of meal and another 1,200 lbs of flour in 1870! Other cool buildings at the site included the Murphee Hollingsworth cabin, C-1790 The river rock chimneys on these cabins with mill stones inserted are neat too! These cabins are under the protected watch of a huge walnut tree, ever tried to get into one of those nuts? They have that pungent ordor and that stain gets on your hands...if you can ever get to the nut IT taste great!! Gotta bust these babies with a hammer!! And if you hit it wrong--well OUCH!!

river rock chimney

I love these split rail fences, there are lots in the Upstate.

This particular fence was protecting the "corn" patch...

 the tomatoes were present and accounted for...well maybe one disappeared with me, when it fell off the vine, I only touched it-----hey it was going to rot anyways--

Back in Tennessee where I am originally from we played with June Bugs, they always looked like flying scarabs to me, of course when I was a kid I'd never heard the word scarab, but I knew they were special... with that wonderful green coloration..didnt get this guy too good, he was so busy he didnt have time to pose for me, I had to settle for a candid shot as he inspected the Rose of Sharon (that always reminds me of he Grapes of Wrath)...

This cotton gin is C-1890, and WHEN they are open its in operation..that must be fun to see, I bet it makes a racket when it running.

and this last shot...well it is somebodies big idea gone bad...when they first built the Interstate highway system here they wanted a plant to cover those big mounds of dirt around the exits and entrance ramps to control erosion you know how that is....so they imported this plant from Japan...its called Kudzu, little did they know how much it would love the humid south..it escaped of course and it can cover an entire HOUSE in just a few years, it grows 60 ft a season!!! So here is some KUDZU for You!! In this shot you can see its covering the trees, plants, and lines in a power line right of way.

 

 today Im planning to do a bit of yard work before the afternoon stroms hit and you can bet Im unplugging the modem as soon as I hit the POST button on this blog!! Have a great weekend.