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Santa Rosa Press Gazette
Milton, Florida
Old mill site is damaged
Ryan Arvay
February 12, 2008 - 2:12PM
The Department of Environmental Protection is trying to determine whether the City of Milton might have violated a permit after failing to notify officials of historic artifacts uncovered during an active construction project to replace the Locklin Lake Dam.
Though efforts to replace the lake’s existing dam began well over a month ago, it was only discovered this weekend that workers had since unearthed the remnants of the historic Jernigan Saw Mill, built on the site in 1830 and credited with giving Milton its name—which once appeared on early maps simply as “mill-town.”
Already designated as a recognized archeological site in 1990, water in the lake and an active dam made it difficult to assess what, if anything, remained of the mill—until now.
“What we have out here are some vestiges of the dam and mill foundations still in place [and] others impacted by the construction,” said John Phillips, a researcher and professor at the University of West Florida who was contacted Saturday. “The appearance is of a typical, early American, pre- Civil War saw mill.”
“There are a number of square timber beams that used mortise and tendon construction, like Lincoln Logs, that are visible, also fastened with tree nails, or wooden pegs, that are rather massive,” says Phillips.
Concern over the matter does not stem from the fact the city was digging in an archeological site, for which they had obtained the necessary permit, but rather from the possibility they ignored specific conditions outlined in that permit, which state in the event historic artifacts are ever encountered the permittee must cease all activity around such discoveries and contact the appropriate agencies.
Jane Hayes, with Hayes Construction, the company contracted to replace the dam, declined to comment on specifics, but did say the city knew about the timbers prior to this weekend. “We’ve been in constant contact with the city,” Hayes said. “This is something the city is aware of.”
City Manager Donna Adams and Public Works Director Brian Watkins both stated they were never approached by Hayes, or anyone representing the project, about the historical findings. Adams doesn’t know who Hayes spoke with. The city has had one meeting to update the status of the project.
“If they felt it was something that needed to be reported I have all the confidence in the world that would have taken place,” Adams says. “I don’t recall anything being an issue with the site at that time. Although, maybe they said they found some timbers or something, but nothing clicked as reportable.”
Laura Kammerer, compliance officer with the State of Florida, Division of Historical Resources, said she had received no correspondence from the city regarding the site prior to these matters coming to light.
“It’s our recommendation [to DEP] that a professional archeologist goes out and assesses what has been uncovered, record it, document it, and determines whether there is potential for any additional materials that might be disturbed by the completion of the process,” Kammerer says.
The discovery of the artifacts which include hand hewn timber logs, a metal pulley wheel, and other mill implements, were made possible by Buddy Mitchell, the fifth great grandson of Benjamin Jernigan, who founded the mill.
Mitchell, who resides in Montgomery, Alabama, was in Milton for the weekend conducting family history research when he decided to stop by the old mill site and stumbled upon the construction.
“I was so excited because here we have actually found some parts of [the mill], then I thought, they’re tearing this thing up—something needs to be done.”
Though historians and researchers have yet to thoroughly inspect the site, those dispatched to the scene found it was greatly disturbed by the work on the dam.
“My hope, said Phillips, “is we can get in here and document the parts that are still intact and then they can proceed with the rest of construction before they do anymore damage.”
“My fear is that there may not be enough time and the heart of the mill was destroyed by this construction.”
Work continued on the dam site as recently as Monday and Adams says, the DEP has given approval to continue work so long as the city does no further excavating.
The project is sponsored by a legislative appropriations grant for $800,000 applied for by the city and administered by Baskerville-Donovan, the project engineers.
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