Smokies Seeks Volunteers to Tell History of Mingus Mill

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is enrolling volunteers to offer visitors historic orientation and information at Mingus Mill. The Mill, is located one half mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee North Carolina. This opportunity provides volunteers the skills to assist Great Smoky Mountain Association in educating visitors about the general role of milling in the Smokies and specifically the turbine wheel at Mingus Mill.

Mingus Mill, built in 1886 offers visitors a unique look into the inner workings of a mill that custom ground everything from corn to wheat or rye. The intricacy of the mill provided customers with custom ground cornmeal or flour in a fraction of the time needed by other types of mills.

Volunteers will work alongside GSMA employees. Each volunteer is asked to work at least one, four-hour shift per week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the peak visitation season from April through the end of November.

Interested persons will be provided orientation and training before beginning at the mill. New volunteers are required to attend training on Monday, March 20, 2017 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The training will be held at the Oconaluftee Administration Building near Cherokee, NC.

A lunch break will be in the schedule, please plan to bring a bag lunch.

Please call to reserve space for training. For questions or to receive more information, please contact Park Resource Education Ranger Florie Takaki by phone at 828-497-1906.