Historic Yates Mill, Other County Parks Hit Hard by Storms
6/15/2006
Rough weather has taken its toll on Wake County Parks in the past week. On Wednesday, Tropical Depression Alberto dumped more than seven inches of rain on the County, resulting in damage to the mill and mill yard area at Historic Yates Mill County Park and flooding at Lake Crabtree County Park. Cleanup was already under way at Harris Lake County Park from the effects of weekend thunderstorms.
At Yates Mill, Steep Hill Creek rose quickly on Wednesday, and Yates Millpond overflowed with stormwater and left its banks. Water flowed around the log cabin and through the mill yard, causing severe erosion. At the height of the flooding, Yates Mill’s waterwheel was more than halfway submerged, and the mill building was surrounded on all sides by water for several hours.
The wheel’s stone support pillar was almost entirely washed away and will need to be repaired, and the wheel itself was pushed sideways, out of alignment with the milling machinery. However, the mill is sound and its corn-grinding operation will be completely restored. The mill yard will also be repaired. These areas are not currently accessible to the public but will be reopened as soon as possible. Repairs are already under way.
The damage caused by Alberto has caused a change in plans for this weekend’s (June 17 and 18) activities. The corn-grinding demonstration and the "From Field To Food" event, including the "Cornmeal Cook-off," have been canceled. Instead, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., staff will show a video of the mill that was taken during Wednesday’s storm and discuss the effect that hurricanes and other storms have previously had on the mill site.
Yates Mill staff hope to have the mill up and running again soon, so that corn grinding can be demonstrated on the third weekend in July. For more information, call the park office at 919-856-6675.
Lake Crabtree County Park is now open; however, boat rental operation and the group play area will be unavailable to the public for several days, perhaps the entire weekend. The public is urged to call 919-460-3390 for updated conditions as facilities and areas open while the lake level draws down.
Work continues to remove debris at Harris Lake County Park, after strong thunderstorms felled several trees Sunday night. Staff plan to reopen portions of the park by this weekend. The Day Use Area, including the picnic area, picnic shelters, playground area, activity field and restroom building, will open Friday, June 16, at 8 a.m. The following areas remain closed:
- Mountain Bike Trails - trees down and flooding
- Hiking Trails - trees down and flooding
- Disc Golf Course - trees down and flooding
- Fishing Pond - trees down
Park staff, contractors and volunteers will be working over the next few weeks to open the other areas. For more information, call 919-387-4342.
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