My newest fascination

I love coming across derelict mill sites in the woods. The other day I found three of them in as many (or fewer) miles. This stretch of brook must have been really important a couple hundred years ago. Alas I couldn't find any information online about when they were built and what they were for. Maybe the historical society has info, but I'm lazy.

Big Mama - the largest one I saw

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/...bf7659a5_b.jpg

The next one downstream - I love the trees that are growing in and near the far wall. It's tough to get decent photos of these ruins, a lot of it is the terrain, but sometimes it's the light too. Still this perspective works for me.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/...45688480_b.jpg

This last one was intriguing. The area on the map is labeled spillway, and sure enough just over the earthwork on the left is a section of river that is very slow moving. I followed the bank about as far as you can see in this shot and the divide looks deliberate and man-made for sure. They probably used the spillway to regulate the flow of water to the mill when the spring runoff arrived. Still can't find any info on the mill itself though. Bummer.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/...446f107e_z.jpg

I had to wedge myself in a the fork of a tree and lean out to get this, thus the fast-ish shutter speed. And the light is a bit harsh, but I like it anyway.

so thanks for having a peek and indulging my latest obsession.

Interest find, I really like the silky water in shot 2. Climbing trees!!!!! I like your commitment to your latest obsession.

thanks Rich. yeah, it's challenging to photograph these ruins well sometimes. I wrote a blog post going into more detail about what they might have been for and who might have built them - Obsolete Technology – abandoned mills « Wicked Dark Photography

It's amazing they were allowed to effect the flow of the rivers in this way. And so many in such a small area. I don't think we have anything like this in Aussie.

thanks MA. New England is riddled with stuff like this in the woods. My dream is to find one with a cemetery nearby, but alas not yet. They do exist though, I found a video shot in Massachusetts (I think, judging by the narrator's accent) that has a large-ish mill building, wall/dam and cemetery from mid 1700s. Don't know where that was, but I'll bet it isn't unique.