The George Washington Brown Mill on Fodder’s Creek. Georgia Washington Brown (1829-1889) had a tandem sawmill and grist mill on Fodders Creek prior to 1870. At the mill, there was a small lake created by a dam. The lake was large enough for people to go out on it in boats. He had purchased the land in 1856 and may have begun his milling operation before the Civil War. His sawmill was the only one in the Hiawassee area in the early years, and most of the old buildings in town were made from lumber sawed there. After his death, in 1889, the mill passed to his son Lona Cicero Brown (1867-1928). Often the Browns hired other people to tend the mill. In the early years it was operated by John A. Scroggs (1837-1911). Later it was operated by Henry F. Beard (1853-1934). In 1908, Cicero Brown began construction on a new house in town on Bell Street. The lumber for the house was sawed on Fodders Creek. In 1909, he refused to grand green corn for a local person he knew was going to use it to make moonshine. That evening, the mill mysteriously burned. Having completed his house in town, he sold the land to Henry Beard who had operated the mill for a number of years. In 1918, Henry Beard sold the property to James N. Spiva (1880-1965). His descendants live there today.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:49:16 +0000