I'M an ardent student of the history of the Appalachian, Blue Ridge, and Smokey mountains. There's a great book out that documents a very important period of that region and it discusses in detail the area that supports the setting for this post. The book is titled " Moonshine, Murder, and Mountaineers " written by Allen Cook.

I want to steal a quote from the book that's pertinent in this case because the Dellinger Mill came to be in that period and is located right in the heart of thigs.

" There was a time in the Blue Ridge Mountains when scores had to be settled, when fear was replaced with resolve, and death was imminent. Around the turn of the 19th century, lynch mobs, gunfights, and blockade whiskey made Mitchell County, North Carolina the most dangerous place in America. "

I was cruising around Bakersville, N.C. wanting to absorb a feeling for things. That's when I came upon this mill.

The first 3 shots highlight the trough for water delivery and some support buildings. The 4th shot is the grinding building...which was not in operation when I was there. The 5th shot is of the grinding wheel. That wheel is steel. It was manufactured , shipped in 12 pieces to the closest rail head to the mill site, and had to hauled by mules over and around mountains a distance of 30 miles to the mill. It was then assembled on site.

The last picture is of my wife, on the left, a friend on the right and Jack Dellinger in the middle. Jack's ancestors built the mill over 148 years ago and family members have operated it
ever since. Jack lives in Florida but comes up every year to open for business and goes home when the season is over. He was 86 years old when we met him. He was out working grounds around the mill.

This next development in the story blew me away. Jack spent most of his adult working life as a computer wizard and flight engineer for NASA. His program was responsible for the design and perfection of the steering process of the mighty Saturn 5 rocket that put our men on the moon. I was stunned to meet such an individual in such a setting.

One final point of interest: In our conversations, I asked Jack who was the smartest in that original group of 7 astronauts. He said that each one was very smart, but the one who really excelled in educational accomplishments and pure intelligence was Buzz Aldrin.