Shades Creek Old Mill House (Mountain Brook, Alabama)

 house, mill, historic landmark

Built in 1926, the Old Mill remains a symbol of the City of Mountain Brook and is depicted in the city's official seal.
The Old Mill or Old Mill House is a 1926 replica of Perryman's Mill built by the Jemison Companies to promote the newly-developed residential suburb of Mountain Brook. It is located on the foundations of the earlier grist mill, on the bank of Shades Creek at 2780 Mountain Brook Parkway.
The house was designed by landscape architect William H. Kessler and was originally operated as a tea room by Frances Bomar, with hitching posts for horses outside. The tea room closed during the Great Depression and repeated attempts to re-launch it afterwards were unsuccessful. The house was sold and converted into a residence.
The building features oak clapboarding and hand-split wood roof shakes on the exterior. Pegged floors and a stone fireplace highlight the interior. The modest front door is connected to Mountain Brook Parkway by a wooden bridge which spans between stone piers built into the waterway. The wooden waterwheel turns when the creek is high enough to fill the sluice.