Mingus Mill Today

Mingus Mill is an operating mill located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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Operating hours are 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily from mid-March through mid-November. The Mill is also open on Thanksgiving weekend. During open hours, you can stop in, view the interior of the mill, and see the milling process in action, and even speak to the miller on duty. If you arrive early in the morning, you can also see the miller clean the leaves and debris out of “chunk rack”, which is at the top of the ladder on the flume. If you look closely in the very first photo in this article, you can see the miller cleaning the “chunk rack”. He’s standing up on top of the ladder.You can purchase corn meal that is ground at the mill, along with a number of other “country” items for sale. The mill is a wonderful spot to take photos, but be there early to avoid having people in your photos. When we say early, we mean before 9:00am. Here’s a great video showing all of the different portions of the mill, and the turbine and mill stones in action:Given how old it is, the design and construction are pretty amazing. The turbine generates 11 horsepower, a significant amount for back then.At a height of 22 feet, the flume pours the water into the “penstock”, which is built right next to the mill. The penstock is a 4 foot square wooden shaft that is full of water from the flume. The penstock mains a constant 22 foot/pounds of water pressure. This water and water pressure is run into a metal pipe attached to the turbine housing, which contains the the metal turbine. The turbine has angled blades, causing the water to turn the turbine, which turns an attached metal rod that goes into the mill. The metal rod is used to turn the grinding stones, and also to power other