SHORELINES

Inside, the room next to the primary production areas of the mill was converted into a commercial kitchen. A large polished marble slab was placed on top of the original flour sier to become the kitchen island. Much of the ground floor was le intact, with huge belts, wheels, pullies and gears running throughout the buildings. e vintage equipment stands ready to roll again: a machine that removed corn from the cob; a roller that converted grain into flour; a grist grinder; a storage bin and bagging scales. Hanging on the wall is an original bag used to fill the white corn meal. Original grinding stones, weighing several thousand pounds each, are scattered on the grounds. "It really wouldn't take that much to get it all running again," Flowers says, looking through a window at the 16-foot-tall steel water wheel recently fitted with new bearings. "ey say that when it was engaged, this whole mill would shake. I would give anything to have seen it in operation." Just outside the production room is the new Groom's Room featuring a 120-inch video screen and surround sound. e spacious room with a high wood-beam ceiling and belt-driven fans has sofas and chairs in the center and a woodstove on one wall. e roar of the nearby waterfall is ever-present. An old wall telephone's number is BR-549. Up the stairs is the Bridal Suite, with beds on both sides of the uppermost mill belt-drive mechanisms. ere's a widescreen TV and clawfoot tub in an open area, and an adjoining large bathroom and shower. A stained- glass artwork depicting the mill is on the ceiling. Floor-to- ceiling windows overlook Yellowleaf Creek and the dam, which is illuminated at night. "It's really beautiful when the sun starts shining through in the morning," Flowers says. A large-stone walkway with a wooden handrail was built from one deck to the creek as another perk for the weddings, reunions, proms, corporate meetings, parties, fundraisers and similar events hosted by the Flowers over the past five years. Since Jan. 1, Transformation Ministries has owned the facilities. Yellowleaf Creek Mill can accommodate up to 225 people and has nearly 3 acres of parking space. e managers anticipate having concerts and dinner theater in the summer and fall. An open house last year brought a huge crowd of people wanting to get a look at a place many residents recall from childhood. Aer the website eKnot.com named Yellowleaf Creek Mill the nation's No. 1 wedding venue for 2019, the phone began "ringing off the hook," with many of the calls from outside Alabama. "It just amazes me that a little grist mill in central Alabama could interest people around the world," Flowers says. "We're so thankful Mr. Brogdon decided to preserve this historic, picturesque place." 24 | 2019 Vol: 2

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