December 2014
In the early 1800’s, year before the Habersham Mill Factory
and farther upstream on the Soquee, there was a Soquee Woolen Mill located at
Minis Shoals near Clarkesville. This is
where the water from the much later Habersham Mill Lake now begins. Most of the only history information that I know
is through oral history as told by my mother and aunt who were born in 1907 and
1909. My aunt lived to be age 95 and she
said the Indians watched as equipment was brought in.
Farther upstream and at the end of West Water Street, a new
bridge was built across the Soquee replacing the Roper Bridge that had washed
away in much earlier flood waters of the early 1950’s or before. A new subdivision was built across the
Soquee. Downstream from this new bridge
and off to the side, a new bridge was built across a creek close to where it
enters the Soquee. A new road was graded
above and along the river to private property and to the shoals. In the 1950’s, an old road could be seen
along the river bank. The reason the new
higher road was built was because the old road would easily flood out and above
it the banks were too steep for an old road.
It appears some large rocks were blasted or moved into the river’s edge
to make a way for this older road.
On the other end, in the other direction, was Robertson
Stree, a dead end road with a house at the lower end. But the old road turned right, through the
woods and down to the river and mill.
Now Robertson Street makes a loop. Now Robertson Loop Road. The area was used as a landfill and now used
by the City of Clarkesville and is closed off making it difficult to get to the
shoals. But past this, the overgrown
road goes by the ice cave as it continues to the river. The ice cave was filled with winter ice and
used to keep things cool during the summer.
It is still visible, just a hole to crawl into and it is well above high
water. It may take some time to locate
it in the overgrowth.
With the loud roar of rushing water, it is easy to find the
shoals and it ca quickly be seen. The
shoals consists of the Soquee running over a wide area of bedrock and falling
maybe six feet now. But in the 1800’s it
surely had more drop than it does today.
But today, it has so much more fill in sand, mud, and has trees growing
out in the middle. Today, a person can
walk from below up to the center rocks that stick above the water and climb up
on them with rapid water flowing all around.
I have seen large trees washed over the shoals during high water and
heard the roar of rushing water at my house.
There are holes in the bedrock, some round that appear to
have been used to support post maybe wedged in.
These post would support the trough carrying water to possibly a water
wheel, the main source of early power.
Off to the side, there were signs of an old chimney, now a pile of old
solid handmade bricks. Farther away
along the hillside is a rock wall made up of some large rocks. This side was subject to being flooded and
was a small area and would not have much power to support a mill. Therefore, later, the much better lower
present Habersham Mill site was built up having much more room and power and
less flooding.
More signs of the old mill were visible in the 1950’s. There were some early graves in the area that
are now lost, destroyed. I do not know
how many houses were built in the area.
Sometime later in the 1800’s, the old Soquee Woolen Mill burned. After this, maybe the lower Habersham Mills
site was obtained.
After the mill burned, two of the old houses were torn down
and along with a third old house, the lumber was recycled to build a large
house farther away up Robertson Street.
Wide boards were used as exterior siding and nice beaded six inch boards
were used as interior walls. Hand cut
nails from one inch to six inches were recycled and used mostly. The support beams were maybe 8” x 10”. There were eight foot wide porches on three
sides. The house had a through hallway
and it was rather cool. There were four
rooms with big tall double fireplaces made from solid handmade brick. It had no insulation but it did have some
cracks. Water would freeze inside on
cold winter nights. Now the old house
has decayed and fallen in. It may be 140
years old and the recycled lumber may be 170 years old.
I still live beside the old house where I was born on May
30, 1947 and lived in it until 1970. Mom
was 12 years old when her mother bought this farm in 1919 and 95 years
ago. Her mom was Sarah Jane Frankum
Senkbeil from Batesville on the Chimney Mountain Road along the upper left fork
of the Soquee. Sarah’s mom was Elizabeth
McClure Frankum, who grew up in the McClure log cabin on the Unicoi Road at the
Junction with Sky Lake Road after she came from Ireland in 1842. The log cabin still stands there on the
McClure home place where it was built in the 1800’s. Mom played and fished along the upper part of
the Soquee and later knew the Minis Shoals area. I played along the Soquee, Habersham Lake,
and Minis shoals and fished and collected Indian artifacts.
Now the lake is filled in, now a wetlands, and I can walk up
to the higher center rocks and climb up on them with rushing waters all
around. I can stand on the fill in and
see eye level up the river water.
I wonder how high the shoals were during the days of the
Cherokee. When was the Soquee Woolen
Mill built? When did the mill burn? How many houses were in the area? When did the first white people occupy the
area? What…?
Thanks to my
mom: Annie Senkbeil Mason
Thanks to my
aunt: Bertha Senkbeil Harris
By: Clarence
G. Mason
Clarkesville,
GA
