Freeman’s Mill

Freeman’s Mill

1401 Alcovy Road, Lawrenceville

Freeman’s Mill, also known as the Alcovy River Grist Mill or Swann’s Mill, was originally constructed between 1868-1879 by brothers John Griffin Loveless and Levi J. Loveless. It is located on the southern bank of the Alcovy River just north of Alcovy Road and east of Bramlett Shoals Road.

Farmers brought their corn to the mill to be ground into corn meal, and as payment for his services the miller retained a portion of the grain to sell himself. Water-powered grinding was slow and considered superior to steam or electric powered-grinding, which ground so fast that the meal was heated and thus changed the taste.

Ownership of the mill has changed several times over its history. Following ownership by the Loveless brothers, W. Scott Freeman and his son Winfield Freeman ran the mill. Newt Pharr, who owned five other mills in the county, purchased the Alcovy mill in 1915. In 1946, Lewis Swann purchased the mill property from the estate of Newt Pharr, who was his great grandfather. Since the mid-1970s, Dr. and Mrs. Julian Swann maintained the mill and Gwinnett County acquired it in 2002. The mill is a superb example of the rural gristmills found along rivers throughout Georgia in the middle 19th century. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 for its significance in architecture, engineering, industry, and social history.

For more information visit www.gwinnettehc.org or call 770.904.3500.