After leaving the Antioch Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, we continued our way to Booker’s Mill. Relying on GPS proved to be a fallacy in the journey in that it took us down a dirt lane called Twin Bridges Road which led nowhere but it did produce a kindly gentleman who had us follow him to the mill site.
Upon arriving at Booker’s Mill, it seemed as though the entire place was a public park or some sort of historical exhibit, but it is actually the private property of the Stinson family who purchased the property in the 1970s and have added to their holdings since that time.
“Booker’s Mill consists of 190 acres with 10 different cabins and comfortable houses as well as a chapel,” stated Mr. Don Stinson, the patriarch of the Stinson family who owns the property along with several of his nephews.
Stinson, who is a retired school principal who presided over Woodham in Pensacola and the Evergreen School before devoting more time to the property.
“We bought the first 30 acres in 1974 from Gabriel and Sam Booker and since then we added on. There was an old mill and cotton house that burned shortly before we bought the property,” added Stinson.
According to Stinson, John Geist developed the mill in 1865. Geist had lost a leg at Second Manassas and had clerked at a store in Evergreen. Following Geist, the mill has been owned by the Johnsons, Bookers, Brewers and Snowdens. The Stinson family decided to keep the name of the last owner for posterity sake when they named the mill, hence “Booker’s Mill,” was born.
“We have been fortunate to have had a lot of help in creating Booker’s Mill,” stated Stinson.
One of the cabins was moved to the Booker’s Mill location from Butler County. The Marshall Stinson Cabin belonged to Don Stinson’s cousin. “The cabin was located near Starlington, Alabama. We took it apart and moved it here. We built a fireplace with limestone from the Sepulga River,” stated Stinson.
Later, a chapel was built on the property. “We finished it in 2000,” added Stinson. “Parts of it came from various places. Some of the windows came from England, the bulk of the windows came from a church near Evergreen. The door came from Boston and the steeple came from an old Howard Johnson’s Hotel in Pensacola that was being demolished. The organ in the church was donated by Cokesbury Methodist Church in Pensacola.”
Next week, the later history of Booker’s Mill.
The book Shadows and Dust III: Legacies is now available for purchase. The hidden history of our area is documented through ten years of All Things Southern articles. Shadows and Dust III is available online at Lulu publishing.com or by sending $35 (this includes shipping-the book cost without shipping is $30) to Kevin McKinley at PO Box 579 Atmore, AL 36054. Also available: Shadows and Dust I and II and Canoe: History of A Southern Town Shadows and Dust I and II and the Canoe book are available for $20 each
