It's one of the first things to catch your eye as you begin your walk down St. George Street. As if viewed through a time warp, a seedy-looking building rises from a brick-paved courtyard, twirling a huge oak waterwheel. The algae-coated paddles fill with water from the overshot millrace and drop it rythmically into a semi-circular pool below. Often, the sound of an unseen guitarist accompanies the gentle white noise of falling water, making the surreal image complete. The only problem is that it is mostly illusion.
The Old Mill is the brainchild of Walt Fraser, who at one time owned the triple crown of tourist attractions in St. Augustine. Fraser purchased and developed the Fountain of Youth, the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse and the mill during the late 1930's. Another example of layered construction and exaggerated history, the building at 19 St. George Street reflects less of the real past and more of the idealized vision of life in the oldest city.
Built on an empty lot between 1885 and 1888, the core of the building is a true historic structure. Beyond that, the history gets muddy; the address was reputedly a speakeasy and fronted for a brothel at the beginning of the twentieth century. No mention of its use as a grist mill is mentioned. In addition, the water wheel which was to have powered the mill is an overshot wheel, which means the water falls over the top. Fraser accomplished this by using an artesian well- a sort of natural spring that emits water at a fairly high pressure (15 psi in this case). Even today, the water falling over the wheel gains that elevation without the use of a pump.
Engineering as clever as this would have been worth noticing in the 1890's. When Flagler brought plumbing, sewers, electricity and telephones to the city during that same time period, the media marveled at each phase of implementation. The commercial implications of a grist mill would have also been noted at the turn of the last century. Since the first record of construction of the overshot wheel was not until the 1930's, it is highly questionable that this building was ever a working mill. It is more likely that Walt Fraser knew exactly what would bring tourists to his Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, which stands two doors down on the opposite side of the street.
Whether or not the building was ever really a mill, it makes for pleasant scenery. The small plaza beside it, once just a gravel and dirt lot, has been bricked over. A cramped souvenir store occupies the lower quarters of the building while the aptly-named Mill Top Tavern has taken over the second floor. The Mill Top itself has had a long run. Like most local institutions, some of the staff say the bar is haunted. There's a Victorian "white lady" who supposedly shows up in photographs. Poltergeist activity has been reported after hours. On the day I visited, I got no sense of the supernatural. Only a soft sea breeze and the mellow music of a local balladeer disturbed the tranquility of the shaded upper deck. The back stairs framed perfectly the Castillo de San Marco out across Avenida Menendez.
It's easy enough to imagine the spirits of the past crossing over into the present in a setting like this. As with any successful illusion, reality here is manipulated by perception and perception is influenced by a strong sense of history. There is often more of the surreal than the supernatural in this place. All the same, I think I'll keep an open mind and my camera ready.
It's easy enough to imagine the spirits of the past crossing over into the present in a setting like this. As with any successful illusion, reality here is manipulated by perception and perception is influenced by a strong sense of history. There is often more of the surreal than the supernatural in this place. All the same, I think I'll keep an open mind and my camera ready.
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