by BOB STOETZEL
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 6:27 am

he rejuvenated Historic Readyville Mill, owned by Tomm Brady, has a lot of friends who want to see it prosper and in doing so keep the Mill at the center of attention for all to see; this in turn helps it stay in good shape.

The Readyville Mill is the last mill intact on the Stones River and has a lot of history about it. Maybe you did not know but the Readyville area of Cannon and Rutherford Counties had electricity before Murfreesboro did. It was generated by the mill itself.

The story also goes on to tell that the lights went off almost automatically at dusk.

It seems that the operators of the mill had chickens who were not penned up and at dusk they would go to roost. They would rest upon a long pole and when enough of them got on the pole it would drop and shut off the lights and in the morning when they departed the pole the lever would go up and bring the electricity on for the days chores.

These are many things that you can learn by taking a tour of the mill. A local woman is helping to support the mill by inviting groups for a tour and lunch at the mill. Westside resident Mildred Paschal invites people to come to the lunch which she has catered, footing the bill herself.

Mildred wants "to keep people interested in the history of Cannon County and the mill. There are so many young people who don't know anything about the mill and we have to share the history with them or else the mill will not exist in the future," the lifelong resident of Cannon County says. This is her way of supporting the historical mill.

Tomm Brady rents out the mill for reunions, and weddings and such, but he leaves the food preparation to two sisters who live in the Bradyville /Readyville area. When contacted about renting the mill Tomm refers them to Nora Robinson and Lola Field (nee Laxton).

Nora is the Hostess. She schedules the events. Nora says "There have already been corporate meetings at the mill and it is fast becoming very popular for reunions and we have a perfect place for weddings. The mill will leave you with many of memories," she says.

Nora, who has a green thumb, is avid about spreading the news about the mill. She says that she is responsible for giving the mill a feminine touch to it on the inside.

"When Tomm was rebuilding the mill he built it for the man to relate to. I brought relevant pictures and flowers to make it more appealing for the women."

Nora and her sister love Cannon County and want to see it prosper and at the same time do not want the county to lose one of its most valuable assets and that is the history that has made Cannon County so desirable to live in and become a part of.

Nora says that she and Lola are very happy in doing what they do for the mill. If you have an event you can contact Nora Robinson at 615-409-1405.

And when you do have your event and enjoy it, share it with somebody.