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Milling About in the Butternut Valley -- presented by Tom Washbon
Go to bottom this page for link to the youtube video.
The Morris Historical Society and the Butternut Valley Alliance (https://butternutvalleyalliance.org/) cohosted a presentation by Tom Washbon about the history of the mills and milling in the Butternut Valley.
Perhaps you were unable to join us in person or online to watch Tom Washbon's Presentation on the history of mills in the Butternut Valley. There's a solution. We have made a recording of the presentation and you can watch it by clicking on the link below. Stacia Gregory Norman, secretary of the Morris Historical Society introduces Tom.
People may wonder what spurred Tom's interest in the mills. Tom and Maggie took a very active part in the assessment of the streams of the Butternut Valley by walking miles of streams. They came upon the ruins of many mills. The short summary below sheds some light on the experiences that inspired his interest.
The creek assessment was from 2016-2018 The total miles walked by all participants was over 137 – Tom and Maggie covered roughly 10 tributaries including all of Calhoun, Cahoun, Dunderberg, Thorpe, Cope and Oregon (about 60-70 miles in all)
Tom has been coming to Morris for over 65 years to his family’s property (established in 1831). Became “year-round summer folk” in 2015
Tom is a retired Industrial Development manager for Norfolk Southern Railroad (39 years with the RR starting in operations as an operating supervisor)
At the beginning of the recording you will hear a series of loud beeps. There are the sounds of the Morris Fire trucks being backed into the firehouse after responding to a fire call that took place before the presentation began.