A wonderful place for a picnic, the park-like setting here is perfect for photo shoots. The day we were there, they were taking bridal portraits and shooting an album cover for a musical group. The mill is famous for a brief cameo in the opening credits of "Gone With the Wind." After watching that segment of the movie several times just to see the mill, it appears that the surrounding landscape has changed dramatically since the 1930s. If you try to catch it in the movie, don't blink, or else you'll miss it! Before making your way to the mill, be sure to get good directions, as it is not easy to find.

Frank Carmean, a German immigrant, worked for Matthews as a builder/architect. Carmean was sent on a tour of southwestern states in search of new architectural styles, at which time he found Senor Dionico Rodriguez, who was a sculptor and artist. Rodriguez was responsible for all the details of each piece of concrete work made to represent wood, iron or stone, as well as the designing of the foot bridge and rustic seats. Rodriguez was a descendent of the Aztec race and was born in 1891, 60 miles from Mexico City. He moved to the U.S. in 1925. During the summer of 1991, Rodriguez’s work at the Old Mill was renovated by his grandson, Carlos Cortes.