Golden Cable Mill Photograph by Geraldine DeBoer

Golden Cable Mill

by Geraldine DeBoer

Canvas Print

$72

Framed Print

$81

Art Print

$27

Poster

$27

Metal Print

$78

Acrylic Print

$86

Wood Print

$58

Throw Pillow

$27

Duvet Cover

$95

Shower Curtain

$68

Bath Towel

$35

Tote Bag

$26

Weekender Tote Bag

$43

Zip Pouch

$25

Portable Battery Charger

$47

Greeting Card

$4.95

iPhone Case

$27

Beach Towel

$35

Round Beach Towel

$70

Weekender Tote Bag

$43

Coffee Mug

$14

Men's Clothing

$28

Women's Clothing

$28

Youth Clothing

$24

Toddler Clothing

$22

Baby Clothing

$26

Title

Golden Cable Mill

Artist

Geraldine DeBoer

Medium

Photograph - Print

Description

Cable Mill is one of the most popular stops on the Cades Cove tour. Along with all of its historic structures, it is also home to a visitor center and public restrooms. The visitor center is open from mid-April until the end of October each year. All the buildings in the Cable Mill area (with the exception of the actual mill itself) were actually moved from their original locations and relocated here.

John P. Cable Mill

It was not uncommon for entire villages and towns to be built around grist mills in the 1800s. Because of their ability to grind grains into flower or meal at a faster rate than famers could do it themselves, grist mills were vital to local economies. As a result, the town mill often became a social gathering place as well, fostering friendships, business relationships, and sometimes even young courtships.

John P. Cable built his grist mill in Cades Cover in the early 1870s. He was a descendent of Peter Cable, a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer who had arrived in the area in the 1820s and designed an elaborate system to drain the swampy lands located in the western part of the cove.

John Cable was the only person in Cades Cove to use an overshot water wheel, a gravity wheel which harnesses the force of gravity acting vertically on the water as it travels from the top to the bottom of the wheel. Cable Mill's power was supplied by Mill Creek, although a connecting channel was dug to Forge Creek so the mill could tap both streams when water levels were low.

Cable Mill took double advantage of its waterwheel by using it to power saw mills as well. This revolutionized the way homes were built in the cove, as people switched from using logs to lumber and frame construction. The Gregg Cable house still stands as an example of a frame built house in Cades Cove.

Sorghum Mill

Maple syrup, honey, and maple sugar were all natural sweeteners used by settlers in the Smoky Mountains. Molasses made at the Sorghum Mill, however, offered a special treat. The process of producing molasses began by stripping the leaves from the stalks of sorghum cane. The stalks were then fed between the rollers of the mill.

Harnesses worn by farm animals such as oxen, mules, or horses were attached to the mill's long poles. This attachment forced the animals to walk in a circle, which turned the rollers and pulled the stalks further into the mill, causing the sorghum juice to be squeezed out. The collected juice was then boiled down in an outdoor furnace until it became thick and dark molasses. The Cades Cove visitor center still offers molasses for sale from around the middle of September into October each year.