This mill has a long and complicated building history involving a variety of structures and milling equipment and machinery. Today this complex consists of a five-level mill, an accompanying warehouse and a former ice plant. These three buildings are arranged in an "L" with the mill forming the base. A sluice runs beneath the mill structure to power its water-driven equipment.Most significant of the three buildings is the large mill. In order to facilitate a gravity-flow of milling operations it was constructed of heavy timber with clapboard facings on five levels, the lower three levels considerably wider than the unfloored upper sections. The large timbers, some reaching M-0 feet in length, were made from whole trees; equally heavy uprights support them in the exposed interior structural skeleton.On the exterior, the mill is supported partially on living rock outcrops and partially on man-made masonry pilings. The timber underpinnings have been shored up on steel I-beams. The building is of simple rectangular form with almost austere facades, narrowing at the fourth level on the gable ends, with the consider- ably narrower fifth level roof having its ridge parallel to the front of the building. A lean-to porch runs the entire length of the front of the structure. Above this porch three large eight- paned windows admit light into the mill works. The entire structure follows austere, functional lines. There is ° no architectural elaboration, no pretentions to style or importance. Its functionality is its style. The "honest" easily visible con- struction of the building is of great visual interest. Nineteenth century milling equipment in working order and French mill stones give the spacious and airy interior special importance. An interior stair on the east end wall gives access to the various interior levels.A small addition to the right of the main structure was apparently appended to serve as an office to the various operations conducted in the area.
In 1812 Charles Ready built and operated a grist mill on the East Fork of the Stones River at Readyville. For a long time the mill operated without a race to supply the water to power the mill. Peter Talley9 Charles ReadyTs son-in-law, became the miller and after ReadyTs death in 1859, his grandson, Francis Talley,aided his father with the mill. Francis Talley conceived the idea of building a dam, which would feed a mill-race for a sawmill as well as for the grist mill. The original mill burned during the Civil War and the present mill was erected on the site of old mill in the late 1860 Ts.In 1889, W. B. Haynes purchased the mill and when he died in 1894- his son, Samuel Haynes, took over the mill. Samuel HaynesT brother-in-law, Arthur McFerrin, soon joined him in operating the mill. Arthur McFerrin seems to have been mechanically inclined and soon conceived of the idea of developing an ice plant at the mill.McFerrin developed a small electric plant to make the ice. After this accomplishment he saw the possibility of enlarging the dynamo and developing an electric light plant at the mill. Soon all the houses in Readyville had electric lights, one of the first rural villages in the area to have them.Mills played an important part in the economic life of Middle Tennessee and several were located in the immediate region. Without doubt the Readyville Mill is one of the largest and most intact of those structures which survives. Its equipment has been overhauled and is in use today serving the community and entertaining the casual visitor.The firm, simple architecture of the building represents the type of design and functionalism employed in the heavy industries of the region in the nineteenth century. It anticipates the "modern" aphorism that "form follows function" and is an extremely interesting and useful document of early 19th century economics and industry. It is particularly unusual that such a complex has survived in operable condition.
In 1812 Charles Ready built and operated a grist mill on the East Fork of the Stones River at Readyville. For a long time the mill operated without a race to supply the water to power the mill. Peter Talley9 Charles ReadyTs son-in-law, became the miller and after ReadyTs death in 1859, his grandson, Francis Talley,aided his father with the mill. Francis Talley conceived the idea of building a dam, which would feed a mill-race for a sawmill as well as for the grist mill. The original mill burned during the Civil War and the present mill was erected on the site of old mill in the late 1860 Ts.In 1889, W. B. Haynes purchased the mill and when he died in 1894- his son, Samuel Haynes, took over the mill. Samuel HaynesT brother-in-law, Arthur McFerrin, soon joined him in operating the mill. Arthur McFerrin seems to have been mechanically inclined and soon conceived of the idea of developing an ice plant at the mill.McFerrin developed a small electric plant to make the ice. After this accomplishment he saw the possibility of enlarging the dynamo and developing an electric light plant at the mill. Soon all the houses in Readyville had electric lights, one of the first rural villages in the area to have them.Mills played an important part in the economic life of Middle Tennessee and several were located in the immediate region. Without doubt the Readyville Mill is one of the largest and most intact of those structures which survives. Its equipment has been overhauled and is in use today serving the community and entertaining the casual visitor.The firm, simple architecture of the building represents the type of design and functionalism employed in the heavy industries of the region in the nineteenth century. It anticipates the "modern" aphorism that "form follows function" and is an extremely interesting and useful document of early 19th century economics and industry. It is particularly unusual that such a complex has survived in operable condition.