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December 19, 2009

Prater's Mill also a teaching tool

By Rachel Brown

About 15 years ago, fifth-graders from Tunnel Hill Elementary School began pouring in to Prater’s Mill to learn about life in the 1800s.

They made their own butter, washed their clothes on scrub boards, baked cornbread from freshly ground grain, and created their own quilt squares.

“They found that quite fascinating,” said Nellena Smith, a retired Whitfield County elementary school teacher who helped start the program, known as Cultural Heritage Day.

Prater’s Mill Foundation president Judy Alderman said one of the mill’s functions has been educating the community through special activities and tours designed for students.

“Thousands of kids have gone through there,” Alderman said. “We’ve even had kids who have come from Memphis on their way to Atlanta.”

The grounds are open 360 days a year for free, but the buildings are open only for tour groups or during the annual fair. Individuals get in for $8 each, though lower rates are available for large groups.

The site was originally a water-powered mill. As the mill’s popularity grew, Benjamin Franklin Prater added a cotton gin, a saw mill, a wool carder, a syrup mill, a general store and blacksmith shop, according to www.pratersmill.org.

Whitfield Board of Education member Thomas Barton said he sees a benefit in students being able to tour the site, which is adjacent to property for Whitfield County’s newest high school, Coahulla Creek High, set to open in 2011.

Alderman said most student-focused efforts have targeted older elementary school students, though organizers are open to building programs for middle school and high school students as well.

“I just believe it would be a terrific teaching tool,” Barton said.

He said one option the school board could consider is allowing people to park at the new high school for the fair, should the event continue to be held.

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