ATHENS, Ala. (AP) - It’s not every day someone unearths pieces of Limestone County’s history, but Tommy Mitchell recently did just that with the help of a metal detector.
Mitchell, a Limestone native and owner of Athens Land Surveying Co., recently acquired some property near the site of the old Tillman Mill behind Owens Elementary School. He was looking for water wheel parts with his metal detector when he came across something unique - an old steam engine.
“We just kept finding these parts and we eventually found about 400 to 500 pounds of these old steam engine parts,” Mitchell said.
He theorized the engine was likely used to pull the water out of a millrace at the old mill. When the engine stopped working, it was never moved and was eventually swallowed by earth and time.
The engine parts were pulled from a depth of 10 to 12 inches below the earth’s surface. While they are rusty and aged, Mitchell could plainly see the name of Gardner Governor Company on some of the parts.
The company manufactured speed controls for steam engines, with the first parts manufactured around 1859. Mitchell believes the parts he discovered date from the 1860s. His in-laws had owned the property since the 1940s, but no one knew it was there.
When asked if he would try to clean the parts, Mitchell said he may leave them as-is. He’d like to show them to a steam engine group and possibly learn more about it.
The steam engine parts weren’t the only thing recently uncovered by Mitchell on the property. He kept finding pieces of old pottery and bricks and and kept digging. He eventually uncovered an old pottery kiln.
“A lot of the locals were familiar with it and knew it was around here,” he said.
Mitchell’s son did some research and found the kiln was in operation from the 1830s through the 1890s. The kiln has been partially unearthed, but Mitchell would like to build a functioning kiln and install some pottery wheels next to it.
The area where Mitchell made his discoveries is rife with other treasures, he said, including an old abandoned steel bridge. He’s also found arrowheads and other Native American relics.
He believes the kiln is something incredibly special to the county’s history. He hopes to develop a way to let others enjoy the history at some point.
“We’d like to get some of the schools out here and make some pottery,” he said. “We do have plans (for the property).”
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Information from: The News Courier, https://www.enewscourier.com
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