Circa 1858- Riverdale Mill

Riverdale Mill was built around 1858.

Location: 2929 Wayland Road, at the intersection of Thorngrove Pike and Wayland Road, Knoxville

The Knox County GIS website says that the Riverdale Mill was built circa 1830. I'm not sure which date is correct, but I'll try to find out.

The Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, in its document "East County Sector Plan: 2010," said this about the Riverdale Mill:

Riverdale-Kennedy-Pickel-Fraser* Mill:

Located on Wayland at Thorngrove Pike, this mill represents industrial and economic significance for the Riverdale community. It was constructed in 1858, making it one of the oldest mills in Knox County, few of which have survived from the early settlement. The milldam was built in 1916 to substitute for the earlier flume that led from the nearby stream (p. 24).

*Note: The Knox County MPC website has this spelled "Fraser," but apparently it's supposed to be spelled "Frazier."

In September 2003, the Knoxville Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission also published "The French Broad River Corridor Study." On page 29 of this report, it says:

"The Riverdale Mill is one of the oldest mills in Knox County and one of the few that has survived from the early settlement. This mill was mentioned in the Union Army’s staging and encampment locations. The milldam was built in 1916 to substitute for the earlier flume that led from the nearby stream. In the 19th century many of the public roads were commissioned by the county court in order to improve access to various mills. These roads also became a prime location for new residences. Houses that were tied to this mill from the early era were the Keener-Widner-Gibson House, the McNutt-Campbell-Kennedy House and the Kennedy-Pickel House." (p. 29)