Welcome to Historic Yates Mill County Park

This tour is intended to provide you with interesting facts and fascinating stories about the park and events that took place here.

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1. About the Park

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Historic Yates Mill County Park is a 174-acre wildlife refuge and environmental research center that’s located just 5 miles from downtown Raleigh on property owned by NC State University.  The University purchased the property in 1963 as part of its Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratories.  The park opened to the public in May of 2006 and is managed by the staff of the Wake County Division of Parks, Recreation and Open Space. 

The centerpiece of the park is Historic Yates Mill - the last remaining 18th century water-powered gristmill in North Carolina's Capital County.  The old mill is maintained and operated by the non-profit group Yates Mill Associates, which formed from a grassroots effort in 1989.  The mill is now fully restored and guided tours of the historic site are available each year from March through November, with costumed corn grinding demonstrations taking place on the third weekend of each month.  Park programs and events primarily focus on cultural-historic, environmental and agricultural topics.

Figure 1.  Park Ribbon Cutting in 2006

2. Park Hours

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Historic Yates Mill County Park is open seven days a week, 361 days per year, from 8 o’clock in the morning until Sunset.  The actual closing time is posted on a blue and white sign at the park entrance and can also be viewed off-site on the park’s Facebook page. 

The park is closed 4 days a year, on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 

The park center, which is known as the A.E. Finley Center for Education and Research, with its exhibit hall, classrooms, auditorium and other facilities, is also open seven days a week, 361 days per year, from 8:30am until 5pm each day.  The center’s restrooms stay open until just before park closing time.

The historic mill building is open for guided tours from March through November each year with corn grinding demonstrations offered on the third weekend of each month.  Tours are available at specific advertised times and also by appointment for organized groups.  For details, please check the park’s webpage at  www.wake.gov/parks/yatesmill .

Figure 2. Park Entrance Sign with Flowers

3. About the Finley Center

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The A.E. Finley Center for Education and Research is a 16,000-square foot joint-use facility, built by Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space with input from NC State University, Yates Mill Associates, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and other local institutions.  

A 60-person planning committee helped to develop the building plans and the design was created by Mark Willard and Associates.  The building was completed in January 2006.  A 100-foot long wooden, overhead wheel truss is one of the building’s featured architectural elements, along with oak trim and flagstone floors.  The building also features over 2,200 square feet of exhibit space.  Water-quality related best management practices were included as well – for example, rainwater from the building’s roofs drains into several retention ponds which filter pollutants and slow the water’s flow.

For Wake County, the building serves as a park center – the primary orientation, education and exhibition facility for the park.  The university uses the building for field education and research – this facility replaces the old Finley Lodge that once stood in this location and which had been used for biological research since the 1960s.  Other groups also use the current building for purposes that fit the park’s mission of historical, environmental and agricultural education and research.

Figure 3. Finley Center Porch with Rocking Chairs

4. Park Programs and Events

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Programs and events at Historic Yates Mill County Park focus on cultural history, ecology and wildlife, and agricultural heritage.  Program participants can look forward to tours of the fully operational gristmill, guided nature hikes and canoe floats, cane-pole fishing, seasonal activities, guest presenters, and much more. 

Upcoming programs and events include our monthly corn-grinding tours and historic trade demonstrations, which take place on the third weekend of each month through November, along with several types of guided mill tours that are offered on other weekends, as well as by appointment on weekdays for organized groups. 

Program and event details are available at the park center and at  www.wake.gov/parks/yatesmill .

Figure 4. Costumed Interpreters at the Old Mill

5. Field Trips to Historic Yates Mill County Park

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Established before the American Revolution, Yates Mill is the last operational gristmill in Wake County. A field trip to the Mill offers students and visitors the opportunity to learn first-hand about North Carolina’s Piedmont agricultural heritage, renewable power, and the people who settled the surrounding community centuries ago.

Historic Yates Mill County Park provides a wide variety of programs designed to enrich children's learning and classroom experiences. All of our educational programs are designed to be compatible with the current North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Trained docents and education staff lead groups through the historic site.

All of the programs and tours at Historic Yates Mill County Park feature inquiry-based learning, a variety of interactive group activities and tours, and hands-on experiences that both enchant and educate. These programs are open to school groups, scout troops, homeschool groups, and groups from other organizations.

To schedule a field trip, please contact our group program coordinator at (919) 856-5638. They will be happy to assist you in setting up a field trip that is perfect for your group.

Figure 5. Group Gathered in Mill Yard for Tour

6. Millstones and Machinery

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While the waterwheel is an essential component of the operation of a water-powered grist mill like Yates Mill, corn and wheat cannot be transformed into meal and flour without the aid of millstones and various axles, gears, and pulley wheels.

The millstones and axles you see along the path serve as an excellent example of those used inside Yates Mill. These one-ton millstones, donated by the North Carolina based House-Autry Mills, grind corn and wheat into the raw ingredients used for making many of our favorite foods such as bread, pizza dough, and taco shells.

The large iron axles, unearthed from the mud beneath the mill workshop, are thought to have supported a working waterwheel at Yates Mill sometime in the past. These axles or horizontal drive shafts, along with other simple machines, transfer the power created by the waterwheel to the equipment inside the mill.

Figure 6. Corn-grinding Millstones inside Yates Mill

7. About the Pond

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Today Yates Mill Pond is about 20 acres in size. We are told that historically it may have once been as large as 40 acres but sedimentation in the upstream reaches of the pond likely caused its reduction in size.  The average depth of the pond is only about 4-1/2 feet, although it's around 10-12 feet deep in the creek channel and 16 feet deep behind the mill dam. 

After Hurricane Fran breached the old dam and drained the pond in September 1996, Wake County removed about 40,000 cubic yards of sediment from the pond basin, thus deepening the pond for mill operational purposes, as well as for flood and pollution control. 

The pond was re-established in March 2000.  It is part of a nutrient-sensitive, water supply watershed - the pond's upstream drainage area is about 3,300 acres.  The waters from the pond flow into Swift Creek at Lake Benson and then into the Neuse River around the town of Smithfield.

Figure 7. Yates Mill Pond from the Mill Overlook Deck

8. About the Mill

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Yates Mill existed as an important commercial center for over 200 years, beginning in the colonial period and extending into the mid-1950s. Before towns or crossroad-stores developed in rural areas of North Carolina, grist or grain mills served as a public gathering place for the scattered populations. One of 70 gristmills, Yates Mill is the only operable mill left standing.

During its long life, the mill underwent many renovations including the installation of Oliver Evans’ fully automated milling system, patented in 1791.  Evans received the third patent ever issued in the United States for his milling inventions, which revolutionized the milling process and the way in which our ancestors acquired corn meal and wheat flour, two essential dietary components. Today, Yates Mill stands as one of only a handful of national examples of the automated technology. 

Discover the wonders of this amazing piece of history by taking a tour inside the Mill. Tours happen every weekend from March through November. We also grind cornmeal on the third weekend of each month. Check in at the park’s visitor center for details on these tours or information on how to schedule a private tour on a weekday, by calling (919) 856-6675. All mill tour fees are collected as donations and go directly to the care and maintenance of the historic mill.

Figure 8. 1890s Postcard Image of Historic Yates Mill

9. Become a Yates Mill Associate

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While Wake County manages and staffs Historic Yates Mill County Park, the upkeep of the mill itself is the responsibility of a private nonprofit organization, which is known as Yates Mill Associates (or YMA). 

YMA was formed as a charitable organization in 1989, with the goal being to restore the old mill to working order. Despite obstacles along the way such as the damage that was sustained to the mill in 1996 from the wind and flooding associated with Hurricane Fran, YMA’s restoration goal was realized by 2005, just one year before the park opened to the public.

YMA uses an endowment fund and private donations to keep the mill in working condition and relies on tour revenue, membership fees, merchandise and cornmeal sales, and gifts from generous people like you to finance the mill’s repairs and ongoing maintenance.

Please help keep the wheels turning! We encourage you to join Yates Mill Associates and support its work to keep Yates Mill running and in good condition. For membership information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.yatesmill.org.

Figure 9. Incorporation of Yates Mill Associates

10. Center of the Community

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The yard in front of Yates Mill was a vital gathering place for the surrounding communities, like it is again today as the centerpiece of the park.

Mill yards often housed other businesses like blacksmith shops and general stores.  These “one-stop-shopping” destinations enabled individuals to easily acquire other necessary goods while they waited for the miller to grind their corn or wheat.

Interview notes that came from family members of Mr. John A. Lea, Sr., the miller who worked at Yates Mill from 1898 until the mill closed in the 1950s, suggest that a blacksmith shop and a small store were once located near Yates Mill, and there is also evidence that a boat house was once located on the edge of the pond, to the north of the mill. 

The mill yard served not only an economic need but a social necessity as well. Visits allowed people to relax and have fun with their neighbors through conversation and fishing, swimming, and boating on the mill pond.

Figure 10. The Miller Grinds Corn in Yates Mill

11. About the Mill Dam

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The Yates Mill dam harnesses the power of water to operate the mill.  The stone dam you see created Yates Mill Pond by backing up the waters of Steep Hill Creek.  The stones for the dam were harvested locally and are a type of metamorphic rock that is known as “Falls Leucogneiss.”

The millpond’s upstream watershed encompasses about 3,300 acres of land, stretching from Lake Wheeler Road to the north, west across Tryon Road, and then south and east along Yates Mill Pond Road and Penny Road. 

This 16-foot-tall by 12-foot-wide engineering marvel provides almost constant power to run the mill; however, it is not the original.  In 1996, Hurricane Fran destroyed the original 1760s era dam which had possibly been built by the labor of enslaved peoples.  

The dam was rebuilt in 1999 using many of the original large stones, although it was reinforced with concrete at its center, instead of being refilled with stone rubble, as had been the case before the hurricane. The Federal Emergency Management Agency covered 80% of the rebuild costs, while NC State University and Yates Mill Associates covered the other 20% that was needed to re-establish the dam. The total rebuild cost was about $670,000.

Figure 11. The Stone Dam at Historic Yates Mill

12. About the Park Trails

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The park features three unpaved hiking trails. Please note that the park is a refuge for native wildlife and a field research station, so dogs and other pets, and bicycles, are not allowed.

The one-mile Mill Pond Trail loops around the pond’s edge past the historic mill and over the pond boardwalk, and provides a moderate and shaded hike with many beautiful vistas. Stop by the visitor center to pick up a tree guide which describes twenty different tree species you’ll see along the way.

The roughly three quarters of a mile-long, linear High Ridge Trail provides a more strenuous hike, perfect for adventurous visitors. When combined with a portion of the Mill Pond Trail, this hike can be extended to a one and a quarter mile-loop. The High Ridge Trail ventures above the pond through a mix of old field pine, hardwood forests, and north facing bluffs. Each of these unique habitats supports diverse animal and plant life. 

The Creekside Trail travels upstream along Steep Hill Creek. The trail crosses several wetland areas by way of small footbridges and wooden boardwalks. Be aware that this moderate to strenuous trail includes only a short loop towards its far end. Once hikers make the approximately one-mile trek out, the small loop will lead them back along the same trail.

Figure 12. Wildlife Viewing along the Mill Pond Trail

13. Our Neighbors in Nature

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While hiking the trails, keep a look out for eight wildlife identification stations that will help you get to know your “neighbors in nature.”

These signs identify and describe native species for habitats including the mill pond, the pond’s edge, the upstream wetlands, the creek below the mill dam, both old field and oak hickory forest types, high bluffs areas, and the old homestead and backyard habitat that are found in the Old Miller’s Residence area on the south side of the pond.

Several educational brochures are available at the front entrance of the park visitor center to help you to explore the park’s natural habitats and wildlife, including guides focusing on tree and plant identification, and seasonal birds.

Exhibits inside the visitor center also highlight the park’s wildlife and an online natural resources inventory database is also available to help you to explore the plants, animals, and other wildlife that is found in the park. To view this database, go to  nridwake.com .

Figure 13. A White-tailed Deer in the Forest

14. Fishing at Yates Mill

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Fishing has been a favorite past time for Yates Mill visitors for several centuries. Today, fishermen are welcome to try their luck from our elevated Pond Boardwalk. Because the park is first and foremost a wildlife refuge, fishing from the pond’s banks is not permitted.

When you fish in Yates Mill Pond, we ask that you follow a few rules.  For anyone who is age 16 or older, you must have a valid NC fishing license. We also ask that you use only one-pole per fisherman in the water at a time and cast nets are not allowed. Additionally, minnows cannot be used as bait because they are a non-native species that could get into the pond.

The pond is home to many native fish species including Bullhead Catfish, Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass. There are also several species of turtles in the pond – we ask that you please pull up your fishing line if you see them, to keep them from getting hooked and potentially injured.

In order to ensure that all visitors’ trips to the park are enjoyable, we ask that fishermen please clean up any trash, fishing tackle, and fishing line. Thank you for helping us to keep the park safe and clean.

Figure 14. The Pond Boardwalk with canopy cover

Thanks for listening to this audio tour for Historic Yates Mill County Park, which was created and narrated by park staff.

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Visit Wake County's  Parks, Recreation and Open Space website  to learn more about other opportunities to explore our parks and nature preserves.

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Intro. Photograph of Yates Mill

Bryson, Andrew

Figs. 1-7, 11, 12, 14

Park Staffs

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Dautridge, Joe donated postcard image

Fig. 9

Yates Mill Associates

Fig. 10

Lambeth, John

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Page, Paula

Figure 1.  Park Ribbon Cutting in 2006

Figure 2. Park Entrance Sign with Flowers

Figure 3. Finley Center Porch with Rocking Chairs

Figure 4. Costumed Interpreters at the Old Mill

Figure 5. Group Gathered in Mill Yard for Tour

Figure 6. Corn-grinding Millstones inside Yates Mill

Figure 7. Yates Mill Pond from the Mill Overlook Deck

Figure 8. 1890s Postcard Image of Historic Yates Mill

Figure 9. Incorporation of Yates Mill Associates

Figure 10. The Miller Grinds Corn in Yates Mill

Figure 11. The Stone Dam at Historic Yates Mill

Figure 12. Wildlife Viewing along the Mill Pond Trail

Figure 13. A White-tailed Deer in the Forest

Figure 14. The Pond Boardwalk with canopy cover