{"nrhp_refnum":"89002301","name":"Head's Mill","other_names":["Healan's Mill"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Whitehall Rd., E of jct. with US 23","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lula","county":"Hall County","state":"GA","lat":34.37443647500004,"lon":-83.73176047699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-01-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Head's Mill is a rural grist mill complex on the North Oconee River near Lula in Hall County, Georgia, about six miles northeast of Gainesville. The mill was built about 1850, and the complex includes a dam, sluiceway, millrace, brick garage and barn.","why_significant":"The complex is argued to be significant for its association with rural milling in the White Sulphur Springs area of Hall County, and for its mid-19th century wood-framed mill design. It is also noted for its relatively rare overshot waterwheel with a raised millrace, dam and sluiceway. It is described as the only surviving grist mill in Hall County.","narrative":"Head's Mill is a former water-powered grist mill complex beside the North Oconee River near Lula, Hall County, Georgia. The two-and-one-half-story, mortise-and-tenon frame mill dates from about 1850 and was run by William Head, who bought the site in 1852. The complex also includes a dam of early poured concrete probably from the 1880s, a sluiceway, an elevated millrace, a brick garage and a barn from about 1890 that once held a wine press. A metal overshot wheel and millrace replaced wooden ones in the 1930s. The mill ground corn, feed and some grain for local farms, and at various times housed a cotton gin, shingle mill, sawmill and feed crusher. Surplus meal was sold in Gainesville. It operated until the 1950s and is described as the only surviving grist mill in Hall County. Its wheel and raised millrace design is described as unusual for north Georgia. The property is currently not in use.","period_of_significance":"C. 1850-1939","architect_builder":"William Head","architectural_style":"Other: functional","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the mill equipment was operational until the 1950s.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.793275-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/89002301.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002301/66d7293357-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89002301/66d7293357-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HEAD%27S_MILL,_HALL_COUNTY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HEAD%27S_MILL,_HALL_COUNTY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208582","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141765076"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/hall-county/heads-mill-89002301/"}