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December 19, 2009

Prater's Mill grinding to a halt?

Lease on historic Prater’s ends Dec. 31; owners mum on future

By Jamie Jones

The Prater’s Mill Country Fair has been a Whitfield County tradition for 38 years, offering thousands of visitors to the fall bazaar a glimpse into life during simpler times.

Each October the music of Appalachia, hundreds of artisans selling their wares and scrumptious Southern grub surround the historic grist mill built in 1855. But with the Prater’s Mill Foundation’s lease for the 18 acre-property expiring on Dec. 31, some have wondered if the fair — along with the plethora of history found on the grounds — will last another year.

The Boring family, which owns the property, canceled its lease with the foundation earlier this year, and family members have been tight-lipped about their plans. Ken Boring did not return calls from The Daily Citizen.

There have been several people working on preserving the mill, which is off Ga. Highway 2 in Varnell, including Harold Brooker, a member of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners and a friend of the Boring family. He has had several discussions with Ken Boring and said the future of the mill “looks favorable.”

“We can’t do anything until that lease is complete in January,” Brooker said. “Everything looks good. I don’t want to say too much.”

Brooker is familiar with the mill’s plight. He was a commissioner in the 1970s when foundation president Judy Alderman approached commissioners seeking their support of the mill. That was when the mill was in disrepair, before the foundation formed to help resurrect it. Brooker lives just a few miles from the mill and said the board of commissioners is serious about preserving the history of the county.

Commission chairman Mike Babb said the two sides have “not done anything official because it’s under lease to someone else right now.” He is “encouraged” by the talks with the Boring family.

“I feel like the family sees the importance of it to the community and also I think they want to honor Jim Boring (Ken Boring’s brother who passed away last December),” Babb said. “Jim was always interested in Prater’s Mill. I feel optimistic about it, but really can’t say anything until the first of the year when the final discussions are held.”

Some in the community have suggested that the Prater’s Mill site honor the Boring family and Jim Boring. Prater’s Mill supporters say Jim Boring was a strong backer of the fair and the historical site. The Boring brothers became well-known business leaders in Whitfield County. They were part owners of Hardwick Holding Co. (now BB&T;), lease a rock quarry in north Whitfield County to Vulcan Materials, and have been involved with several local charitable organizations. They were inducted into the Junior Achievement Northwest Georgia Business Hall of Fame in 2008.

In October of each year, about 10,000 people and 200 exhibitors fill the grounds at Prater’s Mill for the fair. The Prater family ran the mill until the 1950s, then several millers operated it in the 1960s.

“It’s played a major role in our history, from before the Civil War, during the Civil War. It saw both Union and Confederate troops,” Babb said. “After the war, it helped grind corn to feed the families in the area, and of course it was a business that employed people and made cash money for people during the time period after the Civil War and leading all the way up to when it was closed.”

The mill has received much state and national recognition, and the foundation (www.pratersmill.org) has worked to tell the mill’s story to a nationwide audience. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Georgia Trust presented the foundation with an award for Outstanding Historic Preservation in 1991 for its efforts in keeping seemingly bygone traditions alive. The mill has also been noted as a Legacy of American Tradition by the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress and was included in National Geographic’s “Discover Appalachia” presentation.

The mill also serves as a history lesson for area schoolchildren. The property contains a country store and barn that house a number of relics from the mill’s past. Whether it continues as an active part of the county’s history should be revealed in a few weeks.

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