Rhea Cole
Colonel
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2019
- Location
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
300 pound blocks of ice were produced at the Water powered mill at Readyville TN. The Justice family of millers installed the first commercial electrical generators powered by Stones River. An ice house roughly the size of a basketball court was built alongside the mill.
At the end of the day, the power to the ice making machinery was turned off & folks and n the surrounding community had power for light & to listen to the Grand Ole Opry. Their neighbor Uncle Dave Macon & his boy Doris were Opry stars. Uncle Dave was known to enjoy the results of the "custom chicken feed" that was a regular product of the mill.
Uncle Ray also had an egg & chicken business. The scratch from the mill was a ready made source of feed. He came up with an ingenious way to switch the power from the ice plant to the neighborhood. The chicken perch was attached to a contact switch. At sunrise, when the hens jumped down to feed, the perch tipped down & switched power to the ice plant. When the ladies roosted at twilight, bulbs came on all over the valley. The power plant operated until
TVA bought it out in the 1930's.
My mother's uncles & cousins operated the gris mill until the 1970's. Today, the Readyville Mill is still grinding corn meal & grits. There is a restaurant in the former icehouse. If you plan on visiting Stones River, it is a great breakfast to start your day. The Ready family home is near the mill. It where John Hunt Morgan & Mattie Ready spent their wedding night. You can drive the 20 miles to Murfreesboro on the route NB Forrest took on his famous July 13, 1862 raid.
I have barely scratched the surface, Fort Transit a signal station that was the left flank of a 45 mile wide front of the Army of the Cumberland's line after Stones River, looms on the skyline. Y'all come see us.
At the end of the day, the power to the ice making machinery was turned off & folks and n the surrounding community had power for light & to listen to the Grand Ole Opry. Their neighbor Uncle Dave Macon & his boy Doris were Opry stars. Uncle Dave was known to enjoy the results of the "custom chicken feed" that was a regular product of the mill.
Uncle Ray also had an egg & chicken business. The scratch from the mill was a ready made source of feed. He came up with an ingenious way to switch the power from the ice plant to the neighborhood. The chicken perch was attached to a contact switch. At sunrise, when the hens jumped down to feed, the perch tipped down & switched power to the ice plant. When the ladies roosted at twilight, bulbs came on all over the valley. The power plant operated until
TVA bought it out in the 1930's.
My mother's uncles & cousins operated the gris mill until the 1970's. Today, the Readyville Mill is still grinding corn meal & grits. There is a restaurant in the former icehouse. If you plan on visiting Stones River, it is a great breakfast to start your day. The Ready family home is near the mill. It where John Hunt Morgan & Mattie Ready spent their wedding night. You can drive the 20 miles to Murfreesboro on the route NB Forrest took on his famous July 13, 1862 raid.
I have barely scratched the surface, Fort Transit a signal station that was the left flank of a 45 mile wide front of the Army of the Cumberland's line after Stones River, looms on the skyline. Y'all come see us.
never heard of it. I thought Brown Soda Bread ice cream sounded weird but bacon 
ice cream beats it.
Bringing the