Monday was National Coffee Day, a day, I’m sure was created by coffee marketers who think that not quite enough of their product is consumed. Even so, I celebrated by heading to Due South Coffee in Taylors Mill.
I spent a bit of time sipping java and sponging off of their free wifi. Apparently the pseudo-holiday was a popular one, because others had the same idea.
I was wondering if the rest of the building was open, as when we visited on a First Friday some time ago. I went through the doors in the building opposite the coffee shop and found myself in the wide expanses of one of the manufacturing floors. There was some activity on back, but this large room was open.
I was looking for a way up to the ballroom, but all of the routes I knew about were locked. I kept exploring, though. I crossed over to the other building. All of the studios were closed, but the spaces were wide open. I found an open stairway, but all of the exits were locked on the upper floors. I took a couple of shots from the upper stairwell.
I headed back downstairs and walked along the back of the building. There was an opening, but inside were ledger books and and equipment. I didn’t feel comfortable walking into an active place of business, so I wandered back to the car.
There was new signage at the entrance to the site. One sign proclaimed a park, so I went in search of it. At the end of the mill I found another sign.
The park is still in rough shape and has a way to go, but its making progress. A disc golf course has been built on the site. It looks like the baskets are hand built. The welds for the catch baskets were rough, but they were in keeping with the industrial nature of the site.
A friend of mine, Kevin Batson, mentioned that he had worked on the site. Although they have a ways to go, they are doing an excellent job. The park winds down by the banks of the Enoree River.
On one side of the park there was a serious chain link fence with a cryptic sign…
Soon the subjects of the sign came around to check things out.
I spent a bit more time looking at the smoke stack and at the end of the mill before heading on out.
It’s interesting to see how things keep changing at the site. Next time I’ll have to make sure I’ve got my golf discs with me.