The original Roswell Manufacturing Company geocache GC2001 was placed in October, 2001. It was archived in July, 2010. Since that time the City of Roswell has made extensive improvements to this area so it makes sense to do a completely new geocache. This also allows anyone who logged the original cache to also log this one.
This cache requires finding information at five locations in order to determine the coordinates of the geocache container, a large coffee can. Parking is available adjacent to Location 1 and in a public lot near Location 2. From the parking lot at Location 2, the total walking distance for the hunt is less than a mile. Locations 2 through 5 are in the City of Roswell Old Mill Park which is closed at night. Please obey all park rules and monitor children closely, esp. near the dam.
Location 1 - Deportation of Mill Workers
N34 00.913 W84 21.547
Parking is available nearby on the street.
Here you will find two sources of information about the Roswell mills and the deportation of mill workers during the Civil War. Find DAY in the inscription on the monument "Honoring the memory of the four hundred millworkers of Roswell who were charged with treason and deported by train to the north by invading Federal Forces July DAY 1864". YEAR is the year given here that Roswell King's son, Barrington King, built a second mill upstream from the 1839 mill.
A = DAY + YEAR - 1856
Location 2 - Introduction to the Roswell Manufacturing Company
N34 00.817 W84 21.529
Parking is available in the public parking lot nearby.
Here is some history of the Roswell Manufacturing Company. The map at the bottom of the plaque shows the remaining structures and dam of the RMC and the location of the dam and structures that have been destroyed over the years. YEAR is the year given here that Roswell King purchased the land to "establish a manufacturing company and to create the town that bears his name".
B = YEAR - 1834
Location 3- The 1839 Mill
N34 00.791 W84 21.592
The first mill was built here in 1839. The approximate location of the corners of the mill are marked with four large wooden posts. The mill was not powered by the water turbine you see below you but by a large water wheel. The two large iron shafts on the ground to the right of the turbine are the remains of a water wheel. One shaft was the center shaft of the wheel - the other shaft was probably a rim drive shaft used to transfer the power to the mill machinery. The 1839 mill was burned by Federal troops on July 6, 1864 and was never rebuilt The water turbine was installed when the mill on the hill behind you was built in 1882. Power was transferred up to the mill by cables wrapped around the grooved pulley on the turbine shaft. There are two sources of information at this location. LOT is the lot number that Roswell King purchased for the 1839 mill. Barrington King died in YEAR.
C= LOT - 410
D = YEAR - 1864
Location 4 - The 1853 Mill
N34 00.807 W84 21.433
The photograph in the upper right corner shows the 1853 mill. All that remains of the original four story brick mill building is the limestone block foundation. The photo was taken from a position about 30 feet behind you. This mill was burned by Federal troops on July 6, 1864 but was rebuilt after the war. The mill burned a final time from a lightning strike in YEAR.
E = YEAR - 1923
Location 5 - Mill Dam and Raceway
N34 00.796 W84 21.396
The plaque at this location seems out of place - since the dam is actually about 100 yards upstream from here. To your left is a large water turbine which was installed about 1872, replacing the original 16 foot diameter water wheel. The iron center shaft and rim shaft of the original wheel were used to mount the turbine across the tailrace. The original wooden raceway from the dam to the turbine was replaced by an iron flume sometime between YEAR and 1924.
F = YEAR - 1904
The geocache is located at N34 00.ABC W84 21.DEF
Check Total = A+B+C+D+E+F = 27