Autumn in Sweetwater Creek

Dave and I made it to Sweetwater Creek State Park this weekend to see both the fall colors and the ruins of the New Manchester Mill.

The ruins are what is left following a fire in the 1860's.

"The mill was running at full force at 10:00 AM on July 2, 1864, when Union Cavalry arrived and captured the town and mill without firing a shot. As far as the factory workers, General Sherman’s orders were to “burn the mills and arrest all the women, no matter what the clamor”. The mill in Roswell was burned on July 7th, and New Manchester was burned on July 9th. Large cans of kerosene were carried to each of the five floors of the mill and each floor saturated; the mill was then torched."

http://www.friendsofsweetwatercreek.org/