Appalachia History of The Old Grist Mill and How they worked

[@raclark2730]

No genetic modification no chemicals just hard work.

[@donnielaws7020]

Amen my friend. Thanks for sharing.

[@roberthand6436]

Loved this, cousin Donnie! Thank you so much for sharing! When I got married in 1963, my grandmother made a quilt as a wedding gift to my wife and me. The most interesting part was the liner, which she made by taking apart my uncle's little Country Gentleman and Bugler tobacco bags and stitching them together by hand. She put a lot of loving work into that quilt, and I can't imagine anyone going to all that trouble today, but she had very little money and wanted us to have a special gift from her, bless her sweet heart. She never had running water, or even a well or cistern, and had no electricity until 1970! Mighty few folks could live like that today, cousin! I wish you and yours Shabbat Shalom and many blessings, dear cousin. Please pray Psalm 122:6.

[@donnielaws7020]

That's so awesome my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. Your very welcome.

[@roberthand6436]

@@donnielaws7020 ❤

[@00buck2]

We never had things like smart phones colored TV's and computers but we sure had some good times and lot's of fun. Thanks Donnie for the memories.

[@donnielaws7020]

I understand that my friend. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@Nonniemaye]

I'm in my 70. I can remember going with my mother to have meal ground. In a family of five sisters, we wore many flour sack dresses . We were proud to wear our new dresses that our mother put many hours of love into making. Many thanks, Donnie, for sharing precious memories from our past. God 🙏 bless 🙏.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@perryholloway540]

Hi Donnie, I'll be 70 on Monday, I'm from Fern Creek Kentucky, my mother died at 89 years old. We used to visit meals and buy cornmeal. My daughter got married in the Smoky mountains about 10 years ago. I took my mother to Cades cove, and each bought a sack, of cornmeal there. We got to watch the Korn get ground, and then , get the product. It's more coarse than the cornmeal you buy in a store. Mom would make me cornbread and it was unbelievable. And then she would use it to fry fish. We also used to bad at spring Mill Park in Indiana. Donnie thank you so much for this video, and teaching all of us how things used to work, the pioneers we're geniuses. And each meal had to be designed differently, according to the surroundings, and what they had to work with. Just incredible. I absolutely love this video. Thank you for preserving our history. Plus I love reading everyone's comments, if they talked this kind of thing in school kids would never leave. Thank you so much Donnie.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. Your very welcome.

[@DD-wx3ho]

Happy birthday, I’m reading your comment on Monday!

[@perryholloway540]

@@DD-wx3ho oh, thank you so much DD . That's so sweet. I thought this comment was from my brother, his name is David Holloway. But we call him DD, a nickname given to him when he was first born by my grandmother. Thank you again.

[@MajesticMe429]

Happy Birthday 🎂🎈

[@b.cherylbliss1472]

Happy Birthday! God bless 😊 🎼🎶 🥳🎂🍨🎈🎁🎉🎵

[@rickyparsons5573]

Good morning Donnie…I pray you are doing well 🙏🏻…Thank you for keeping our ancestors & their way of life alive….Nothing beats cornbread and milk and fresh vegetables right out of the garden ❤️Take care….God Bless & Lord willing I will see you next time 🙏🏻❤️💯🇮🇱☦️

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@andreaadams8232]

My Husband and I own a mill. Thank you for sharing. I will use this to explain to guests.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Your very welcome. Thanks for sharing.

[@neeceeboo777]

Morning Mr Donnie. This is so interesting to see how things were done back in the day. I love seeing old structures and learning the purpose of them. Thanks for sharing this with us. Lord bless my friend. See you next time.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. Your very welcome.

[@dimesleon540]

👍👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌👌

[@cadeevans4623]

Oh wow love this history about old gristmills and how they worked and operate great back in time history

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. Your very welcome.

[@cadeevans4623]

It is awesome buddy your welcome so much happy to be sharing this thanks you very much

[@John-uv7zp]

A big ole piece of bologna and a mater lol was the best….Donnie you sir 🫵🫵are the best an old soul like yours is valuable love hearing your stories god bless ya

[@donnielaws7020]

That's so true my friend.

[@karentrimmer]

Thank you, Donnie. This one is special for me. My ancestors had a grist mill in Stewardson, IL. They were also abolitionists. They loaded up flatboats with the flour, corn meal and other products with a little extra something hidden underneath, relayed with other family members 200 miles north to Chicago. My grandmother's G-G-grandmother lived from 1801 to 1905. She would tell the children bedtime stories of those days and my great aunt wrote them down. Some of those stories have been verified by the historical society; most were done in top secret so we'll never know. Community quilting-Bs were held to make quilts out of flour sack to give to the poor during the depression. I still have one of them.

[@donnielaws7020]

WOW that's awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this and your memories.

[@michaelgardner800]

Hello Donnie, I was born in 1950 and I remember seeing 25 pound bags of flour and cornmeal along with 5 gallon buckets of lard our mother would use to bake bread be cornbread or briquettes. Once the flour and cornmeal sacks were empty she would make dresses for my sisters or aprons for herself. I wish though days were back, but we know that can never happen again. But thanks for the memories!

[@donnielaws7020]

Hello my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your precious memories. God bless you.

[@Minnehaha64]

My mother always bought flour and cornmeal from the grocery, since there was no other option. But in the late 70s or early 80s, a group of people in my county in Ohio decided to fix up and restore the historic Bear's Mill. They did a wonderful job. It works even now. This mill uses the original French buhr millstones. I have come to prefer the cornmeal they sell in the mill and at the bulk food store. It's so rough! And it includes ALL the good stuff--it's not the sanitized version you buy from the grocery. It makes THE most wonderful cornbread! I always keep some of the meal in my freezer, and we have cornbread quite a bit, especially in the fall & winter. I love seeing the old mills. Someday, we might need them more than we do now.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@deltonwatts9726]

Donnie...thanks for sharing this valuable piece of history that help keep the population fed. Blessings.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Thanks so much for sharing. Your very welcome. God bless you.

[@LillianMasters-d5t]

I love these old water grist mills, covered bridges and the old country stores. We still heat with wood. I love the first fire in the fall. I would love to see some pictures of the old spring houses, smoke houses and how they worked. My grandmother cooked on a wood stove, sold eggs and milk that she took to town in glass jars. She had a route and i loved going and helping deliver. Great memories. My other grandmother canned and grandpa pickled stuff in the big crocks. Great memories all of them. Its sad to think how our kids and grandkids are missing out on all this stuff now. Great video.

[@ritacarlson9522]

Love the looking back at the history of times gone by. My parents, mother from Kentucky & father from Tennessee always love to live as they did growing up so at their farm in East Texas , we grew our food & I helped my mother can and put up every thing we grew. Daddy bought me a horse, and our chickens and pigs had good lives. Beautiful calves born every year...they were all pets ❤️ so thank you for the look back in time. Have a good weekend Donnie....and may the good Lord watch over and take care of you. 😊

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@tandraallen8398]

I grew up helping my mom garden, make sausage, butter,cottage cheese and can things out of the garden. Miss those times and my mom

[@donnielaws7020]

That's awesome my friend.

[@jjsadventures]

I love the old mills ❤

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend.

[@mrsrbridges1]

Your right Mr. Donnie. There is nothing better than a hot pan of corn bread. Thank you for the history lesson. ❤️

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. Your very welcome.

[@dawnridpath1755]

Good morning Donnie. What an absolute beautiful video....I just love watermills.....love to visit them. Thank you again. Have a great weekend.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Thank you so much. God bless you.

[@stevegilbert8738]

Thanks brings back memories. We never went to mill. But I so enjoyed seeing them. I can remember my Grandma making clothes out of those sacks. 😁 I hate my kids missed this time. Thanks

[@donnielaws7020]

Thanks for sharing your memories my friend. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@robinwoods9961]

My mom use to make homemade biscuits every morning and cornbread for supper. My dad loved cornbread and buttermilk or milk. He called it his dessert. My mom use to can summer and fall everything tasted so good in the winter time. She would can vegetables and make jellies and jams and the best apple butter you've ever tasted. I would help in the garden and in the kitchen. My grandma did the same thing every year. Thank you for showing the old mills. This was very interesting.

[@donnielaws7020]

That's awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@LillianMasters-d5t]

We had corn bread sticks with honey or apple butter on them for bed time snack. Good times.

[@P_RO_]

Well done Mr. Laws. Being at the end of the Appalachians where streams are plentiful, the upstate of SC had mills aplenty, and many of the buildings and sometimes the waterwheels are still there. There's a few of them still operating on a part-time basis. Folks today don't realize how important they were because you couldn't grind the corn yourself in any quantity- there had to be a miller within reach to make use of a good sized corn crop. People pitched in to help the miller with labor, boards, nails- anything needed to keep the mill going. Sometimes the mills would get washed away in floods, and the local folks helped build them back. The miller would repay them with their services as they could so it all worked out, but the biggest calamity was if a wheel broke because it might take well over a month or two to get another wheel.There is an art to operating those wheels to minimize wear and prevent breakage. The mills which used wooden gears, shafts, and bearings also required the tools and skills of a joiner to maintain them, which the miller had to learn how to do for themselves. The mills were essential to keeping the community alive, they could not thrive or sometimes even exist without them, and the miller needed a lot of different skills to keep them going. You could pay cash (if you had it) or the miller would keep a portion of your corn for payment; the terms were better if you had cash because that's what was needed to buy new wheels; no bartering for them. In the earliest times the most remote mills way back in the hollers sometimes had no sacks- you brought your own or clay pots to put your flour in.The mills were also a social center where you'd see your neighbors and hear about what was going on in the wider world past your local community. And being that people had little to no money, it was often a trading post where you went to barter different goods. The miller was usually the most affluent person in their community, sometimes acting as a pawnbroker too. Because of that they were also a target for roving outlaws with the mills being easy to find and always having cash on hand. As quaint as they seem now, mills were the "high tech" of those times, the knowledge of how to build and run them quite extensive and nearly a lost art now. Really nice t see then given their due in this episode.

[@donnielaws7020]

WOW Thanks so much for sharing this information and story my friend. God bless you for sharing this.

[@mrwilliams6626]

Kid. nowadays Donnie history to kids is 10 years before they were born they have no idea of the real history as the old song goes. Thanks for the memories. God bless you.

[@donnielaws7020]

I understand that my friend. Thanks for sharing. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@reneerollins4433]

Thanks for the video Donnie 😊 I sure hope these mills are around for another hundred years for people to enjoy looking at and seeing how their ancestors lived.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much. Your very welcome.

[@kevinhoward9341]

I am 75 and as a boy I would work on my grandfathers farm in Michigan. He had a 120 farm and grew everything on that farm. He had milk cows and sold the milk, the truck would come every other day and pick up the milk. He would grow a hog or two and chickens. They had a large garden and some tobacco, bee hives and a small orchard. Grandmother cooked on a big wood stove and cooked with the things that they had canned. I rode with him to the mill and he would take wheat and corn. The mill would grind it and were paid with extra grain instead of money. Every spring I would help tap the Maple trees and make syrup. All my girl cousins wore dresses made from feed/flower sacks and the boys had shirts made from the same material. I would guess that then and certainly now we would have been considered poor. We never felt poor, and I miss those times.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@barbarasue7191]

That's amazing Kevin. And I bet those girls and boys appreciated those dresses and shirts and were proud to get them. I'm 70, eight of us children and mamma and daddy. We didn't have a lot either but knew we were loved. None of us wanted to shoot everyone at school and the boys didn't want to wear dresses and vice versa. Parents need to make their kids earn what they get. Families need to have supper together every single day. Be involved with each other. God have mercy on us all...

[@kevinhoward9341]

@@barbarasue7191 We never knew we were poor or felt poor, we were very happy in those times. We had all we needed to eat, had a warm and dry home and lots to keep us busy. Miss those times and many family members.

[@LillianMasters-d5t]

You were richer than most now a days im sure. I love the way they were self sufficient and the clothes and meals were made with pure love.

[@reecia3197]

Awhhhh. I love Gristmills!!!!

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend.

[@bettymunguia2136]

Good Friday morning, I love corn bread with butter 😊😊

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend.

[@gregoryj.m.8985]

The old Grist Mills are just so serene to look at, and so neat to go inside especially if they are operating Donnie.....they are few and far between...but with the water and water wheels running....they are a painted portrait in motion....that cornbread at the end sure looked good... Thanks again for the video Brother.

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend for sharing. God bless you. Nothing better than fresh cornbread.

[@dalechurch4954]

Great video I remember my dad telling me that when he was a boy he would take corn to the mill to be ground.and grandma used to have a cellar and a spring house.i remember hearing about people having corn shucking and molasses boiling and things for the kids.thank for sharing this with us 🙏 God bless you and have a blessed day

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@hillbillytalker8858]

Mr. Donnie thank you so much for sharing history of the past, the younger generations do not know how our ancestors survived. I can remember my mother telling me when she was growing up, the flour sacks were their dresses they wore. Great video, God bless you and your family!

[@donnielaws7020]

Hello my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@markcarlson6355]

Can't wait to get back to the mountains! Thanks for sharing a " slice" of the old ways with a city guy who is " country" at heart!

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. God bless you. Thanks for sharing.

[@perijetton9275]

Happy Friday! Thanks for the story video Mr. Donnie. God bless you!

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend. Thanks so much.

[@CaroleLeamer735]

Thank you for sharing this Mr Donnie ❤God bless you ❤

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend. God bless you.

[@robertduncan5696]

I know that home made cornbread is the best I love it fried with lard thanks for the great memories Mr Laws

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@grillinandchillinwithdeb]

Good morning my friend, love those old grist mills. Thanks for sharing and hope your doing well.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Thanks for sharing. Your very welcome.

[@stanleybrown7844]

Good morning Donnie I know I've commented on this before but at the Levi Jackson Park in London Kentucky the grist Mill still runs I bought 4 lb of meal a couple weeks ago that does not run every day don't have enough water to run it sometimes but I remember that from my childhood and I sure hope if they keep it going thank you for your video Glad to see you are better and I hope that you keep going for a long time thanks

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. Your very welcome.

[@raymondbradley6788]

Thank you, Donnie🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend.

[@JANSFAMBAM7]

Good Morning Donnie, What wonderful story grist mill, my mother had found memories going there corn and wheat grindered up

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. God bless you. Thanks for sharing.

[@glennkemp6565]

Donnie that was so interesting. The ingenuity of these mountain folk. Life seems hard but rewarding. People were God fearing and grateful for what they had. We could use more of that nowadays. God bless you, Donnie.

[@donnielaws7020]

Amen my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. God bless you.

[@dianamarcelo3]

Hello Mr.Donnie. I love this video! I wish we could still see Mills everywhere! Beautiful history beautiful stories beautiful images. I wish these mills would continue on and never be forgotten

[@donnielaws7020]

Hello my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@charliefallonjr316]

The film was very informative and interesting. Thank you for producing it.

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. Your very welcome.

[@barbraschmidt2216]

Thanks Donnie I love old mills!

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend.

[@jacquelineraines2074]

I'm 73 and remember my aunts talking about the flour sack dresses Grandma made for her 4 daughters. Grandma was always resourceful her entire life. As we enter into a possible hard time in this nation, a lot of these historical accounts will help folks through what's to come.

[@donnielaws7020]

Thanks for sharing this my friend. I pray not. God bless you.

[@BrianButterworth-s4z]

My granny made them. I have some of her quilts she made using flour sacks. They are still in decent shape. She was born in 1896.

[@jacquelineraines2074]

@@BrianButterworth-s4z I think everything our Granny made us becomes invaluable, especially when they've graduated to heaven. I have a quilt mine had made especially for me for my Thumbelina doll from the early '60s. The doll was like a newborn and the wind up key made her move around like it was real. Grandma must have been impressed with my desire to mother. Still have the doll and the quilt but did not get a granddaughter!

[@dormiacrouch1905]

My mom handsowed me dresses out of pretty feedsacks the chicken feed came in. This was a wonderful trip back to the good old days when food was pure. Thanks for sharing. Appreciate you so much. God bless you and yours. ❤️🙏

[@donnielaws7020]

That's awesome my friend. God bless you. Thanks for sharing your memories. Your very welcome.

[@pearliesaddler9638]

Good 🌄 friend, I really enjoyed this episode. It reminds me of days gone by, and the way we lived.Thank you so much for what you do, I pray that God bless and keep you always.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing this. Your very welcome.

[@raymondbradley6788]

Donnie, I’m right there with you. I love me some cornbread. Mama used to make it all the time cast skillet. Maybe make up pot pinto beans. And a little better that you’re good to go.🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. That's sounds so good.

[@MKYeahBuddy]

My grandmother canned. The picture you had of the basement with jars brought back so many memories. She had 5 children. Plus her and my pap. 7 people in a big Victorian home in Erie, PA. And they survived and flourished on my pap’s wages of a laborer (house painter). They were poor but they didn’t even realize that bc they gardened, canned, and hunted to supplement food. When the boys would go out to hunt during deer season it was fun for them, but very necessary as well. Nothing went to waste. This was back in the ‘40’s and early ‘50’s when my father, the youngest, was a child.

[@donnielaws7020]

WOW that's awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories and story. God bless you. They knew how to survive.

[@louparry7721]

Good morning Donnie, that picture you showed of the cornbread made in an iron skillet is exactly how I make mine.I Like how nice and crispy it gets on the bottom. There's nothing like a good old pan of hot cornbread. It is amazing how hard people worked to make the corn meal. Thanks for sharing the history with us, your friend, Louise

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing this. Your very welcome.

[@barbarasue7191]

Thank you Mr. Donnie. Love the history. Like you said, for all of us who are American, this is part of our history and ancestors. God bless

[@donnielaws7020]

Amen my friend. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@Lovescoffee-zo2bt]

My grandfather used to tell how they took the dried corn to the mills. Thank you, Donnie for sharing nearly forgotten history.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing. Your very welcome.

[@UncleSasquatchOutdoors]

Those grist mills are fascinating. One of my favorites is the tub mill that was on Roaring Fork in the national park. I can remember flour coming in those sacks when I was a child back in the 60's. Love those old days and old ways. Thanks for bringing things like this to us.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@pamsingleton9461]

Thank you Donnie, that was awesome. I've had the privilege to visit a couple of these old mills. I just turned 62 so I missed out on the use of them, but I sure do love all the old antique things, the old homes made out of logs I think I was born at the wrong time! LOL appreciate you showing us these old memories keep up the good work you do I appreciate it. Love your channel. God bless you 🙏🩷

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@JohnTabner]

Much enjoyed from the UK thank ❤

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. Your very welcome.

[@debbiedotodue]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. Your very welcome.

[@gregfrosch6054]

Thanks for sharing Donnie

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend.

[@bonsaimaster205]

I enjoyed this one Donnie. We are the same age or close to it. I can remember when I was a young boy and up into my teen years when the Mill at Cades Cove was still run. You could buy the meal at the store there. We always brought a bag or two back home.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing this. God bless you.

[@marietjiehildebrandt1324]

Love your passion for making these Will share with my grandbabies

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. God bless you.

[@keithsadler5260]

It is interesting to learn how our ancestors adapted to the hard world they lived in. Keep the videos coming Mr. Donnie. I really look forward to them.

[@donnielaws7020]

So true my friend. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@brendanrapple5361]

Wonderful Video Thank You,I Remember Those Old Water Mills When I was A Boy In Ireland. GOD BLESS YOU

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing. Your very welcome.

[@MarkWYoung-ky4uc]

People that used to visit North Carolina in the early days said our ancestors live on corn and hogs. Have a great weekend Donnie!

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@danielkuykendall4919]

My fathers parents were share croppers. I can still hear his stories 10:44

[@randlerichardson5826]

Good morning Donnie brother

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend.

[@lindahays8444]

This was very interesting. Love the look back at how this was done. My sisters and I had a few flour sack dresses. Awesome that some still work. Thank you for sharing.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing. Your very welcome.

[@likhound]

I loved the history of the grist mill Donnie.

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend.

[@kevinbarrett5001]

Morning Mr Donnie. Hope you getting along well. Yes sir Old Grist Mills... The ones around home here is gone. Just the foundation that you can see. Don't know what ever happened to the stones to them, I quess people went in and took them because I done looked. Appreciate you again my friend. Storm coming through our way now.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this.

[@ellengage1527]

Hey Donnie : ) nice video ! Hope you n yours have a wonderful weekend.

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. You to. God bless you.

[@jillakison3638]

Good Morning Donnie. You always bring us the most interesting topics. Those old mills were so necessary back in the day. I love seeing the old mill in Cades Cove. We have a reproduction grinding stone in our flower garden, makes me think of an old mill. Thank you for keeping history alive.

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. They are a thing of the past. Thanks so much for sharing. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@ladyemerygizer]

Greetings Donnie. I'm mid 60s. I remember a couple of these grist mills. Dad took our corn, wheat, and oats to the Hammermill. I used to like to watch them process it. Homegrown everything. Mom canned everything. Neighbors shared or traded fruits and vegetables. No one went hungry. Everyone worked on each other's farms to bring in major crops, and hay. Shucking corn in huge piles. Drying the shucks for the cows. Nothing was wasted. God got the praise for every single growing thing and every bite, and for the strength to work it. I still have an old quilt made with those pretty flour sacks. My mom, aunts, neighbors women all wore cotton dresses with aprons. Dad wore overalls every day except "Sunday go to meeting". My granny sure knew some tales. There is a working grist mill in Catawba county NC called Murray's Mill. It has a big water wheel. Mostly a tourist and local attraction. But they do grind cornmeal. I haven't been in years. Your video has me hankering for some good cornbread. If only I knew where I could buy non gmo white corn. Dad saved seeds from year to year. Kept separate from the corn bin. I used to get the shiny shovel and get in the wheat and oat bin to turn and "air" the grain. It always felt cool in the grainery. Thanks for the memories! Hope you're doing well.

[@donnielaws7020]

That's awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@geraldscott2213]

Good morning Donnie

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend.

[@lauraschuler3894]

I love it when you take us on a trip through time. Another great video Donnie, thank you.

[@janapetty2806]

I love your stories

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you so much my friend.

[@kathypartee3314]

Oh how I enjoy hearing your stories. Those folks worked so hard and I appreciate what they did to grow our beautiful country.

[@donnielaws7020]

I'm glad you enjoy them! 😊 Thank you so much my friend.

[@sirtango1]

There are a couple of mills still in operation in my area. I’m a little to the east of you. I talked to one of the mill operators who was having trouble with bears prying the grease cap off of the shaft and eating the lard out of it every night! He switched to crisco and the bear(s) never returned! 😂

[@donnielaws7020]

WOW that's amazing my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this.

[@sheilacape4794]

Thanks again Donnie! Those were the good ole days, I remember! Our past has been distorted through the years, I'm finding out and our future will be distorted, too sad to say! Keep these videos coming; people don't realize the value of life until it's done... God bless you, and love sent!

[@donnielaws7020]

Hello my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@gchrisgo34]

Your videos are pure Gold Donnie. I remember my Granny and papaw's smoke house and butter churners. I was so blessed to be raised seeing the old ways our kin did things the hard way. Thank you

[@donnielaws7020]

That's awesome my friend. Thank you so much for sharing this. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@stephenmayne4886]

Morning Donnie, thanks for sharing this great story

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Your very welcome.

[@Autumn-lj3zd]

Memories. ❤ Thank you my friend for sharing this. I'm reliving alot of good memories seeing this.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@CabinGirl]

Thanks for another wonderful video Donnie! My ancestors owned a local grist mill. I remember my mother making my three older sisters calico dresses from cornmeal/floursacks, and my younger sister always complaining that she got the piece with the label showing on it. My father was always so proud of his tall corn during a good year, (but the cows and horses would hide in it when they got loose). We had sweet corn for the family and feed corn for the livestock to grind into grain and to harvest for silo inslage. I recall my brother practicing shooting at critters in the corn crib and the grain silo after dark (when he wasn’t being a “shade tree mechanic “. Fun on the farm! Thanks for all the memories. God Bless You! ❤️

[@AsemMardini-l6k]

Donnie, you should be a teacher. I was born in Eastern Kentucky, raised in Eastern Tennessee and now live in Florida. Your stories always brings back so many precious memories of my younger years living in the Appalachia area. God Bless you my friend. 😊

[@donnielaws7020]

Thank you friend. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@tammyshean3868]

Thank you for sharing! Very interesting. Love ❤️ history.

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend.

[@chrisoakley5830]

When you showed the picture of the young boy chopping weeds out of the cornfield it reminded me of a summer in 1978 when me and my first cousin helped our Grandpa in his big garden. The thing that he stayed behind us about was keeping the grass out of the garden. We still joke about it today saying, 'chop the grass, chop the grass. We had a great time with him that summer and we sold a lot of the gardens bounty at our local farmers market. Thanks Donnie, love your videos and commentary .

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing your memories and story. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@maxpinson5002]

Love me some cornbread and hoecakes. Back in my folk's time, they had cornbread as a dessert with ribbon cane syrup. It's pretty good that way. The little mill they had back then used a tub wheel that drove the mill stones with just a straight shaft, and was turned off and on by shutting down the water flow. When I was young, my granny still had dresses made from printed flour and sugar sacks, and I remember using washrags made from sack cloth. Most all the old rural mills ground your corn for a toll just like those who had a sugar cane mill I'm glad I learned how to do a lot of that stuff when I got older and smart enough to pay attention. Hopefully all the viewers that can have bought up a decent supply of jar lids so we won't get caught short like a few years ago Thanks for another great video ❤❤

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. Your very welcome.

[@cynthiaswearingen1037]

My Mama said she'd have gone to school naked, if it wasn't for flour sack dresses, Donnie. The sacks were beautiful. I enjoyed seeing the old grist mills! God bless you, my friend.🙏❤️

[@donnielaws7020]

WOW Thanks so much for sharing your memories my friend. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@RandySchartiger]

man I can sooo remember my old folks and grist mills! I remember how loud they were too when under a heavy load. oh yes and I remember some beautiful clothes from the sacks. Lord I must be getting old lol thanks for the memories!

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you.

[@janetsherwood7210]

Good morning Mr.Laws. Thanks for sharing knowledge of the old ways. Good bless you. 🙏🙂✝️🙋

[@donnielaws7020]

Good morning my friend. Your very welcome.

[@cornbreadburgess1950]

Thank you Donnie for sharing and keeping our history alive, 🙏😁

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend. Thank you so much.

[@RuthCollins-g1g]

Hi Mr Donnie good to hear from you my grandpa had a grist mill and that was the best bread ever i love me some buttermilk cornbread miss those days God bless you all

[@donnielaws7020]

Hello my friend. That sounds so good.

[@sarahmessex8231]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful video ✝️🙏🏻❤️

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend.

[@CrisHuron]

Hi Donnie, we have had much progress n improvement, but at almost 79 I can tell u many of the improvements have not been for the better. There wasn’t anything wrong with the way I grew up n I’m grateful every day that I have those values still in my life every single day. Thank u for the memories, the struggles n the wonderful reminders of the way life used to be. I had clothes made from flour sacks n enjoyed them. Those mills worked without electricity n I love cornmeal and cornbread 🤗🤗 10:46

[@donnielaws7020]

Hello my friend. Thanks so much for sharing this. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@frankscarborough1428]

My grandpa use to take corn to the grist mill. Thanks Donnie always enjoy the history you bring us. God bless

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing. Your very welcome.

[@paulapratley5904]

Watching this amazing video from Oxfordshire England , your countryside is so amazing!! and the history is so interesting, in today’s society there are some folk who claim they can’t survive on the welfare they receive?!!!!! These wonderful human beings are true survivors !! Sending much love ❤️ Paula

[@Allastrology]

Thank you Mr Donnie! Something about those old mills is very comforting. I guess its the food factor but also the process from dirt to food, to the mill and then the table. Very satisfying seeing the detailed drawing too. Thank you!!

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@zachyoung4651]

God Bless you for taking time to make these videos and commentaries. They are appreciated!

[@donnastinson5683]

Love your videos Donnie. My mother made our clothes out of these feed sacks. I remember a skirt I wore in my 5th grade play that mother made for me. Don't know why I remember that One skirt, but it was very special. Oh how I would love to go back to those times. Thanks for the memories.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. I understand. God bless you. Thanks for sharing.

[@belindapearson9183]

Thank ya Mr. Donnie for this heirloom story of the Grist Mill. When we come to Pigeon Forge I love to go over to the Old Mill Restaurant where they still have the working Grist Mill Wheel a turning with water. It's so beautiful but it's just for looks and enjoyment. Hope this finds you doing well. Have a blessed day.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing. Your very welcome.

[@GinaMoore-w9v]

Love the old mills thanks for showing use that hope you are well God bless

[@donnielaws7020]

Your very welcome my friend. God bless you.

[@DanetteKennedy-bt6ui]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful video Donnie!! God bless you!!🥰♥️♥️♥️

[@rodneyf.9595]

Good morning Donnie , love the story I remember going with my mother and grandma to our local mill for cornmeal and just watching it being ground and they were using the corn we grew I sure miss those days. Thank you for all you do to preserve our past in story form it keeps my memories alive . May you have a blessed day brother ❤👍

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks so much for sharing your memories. God bless you. Your very welcome.

[@Shaniqua63]

I have an obsession with frist mills. I have electric mills . Grind wheat berries for flour and grind corn for cornmeal. Make my own bread. We love going to see old mills. My dream is to have a small working mill that uses stones instead of steel. Love your videos.

[@donnielaws7020]

Awesome my friend. Thanks for sharing. God bless you. Your very welcome.