Where There’s a North Carolina Mill…

Photo courtesy of Atkinson Milling Company

Atkinson Milling Company

First built in 1757 by John Richardson, this mill eventually passed to his great-granddaughter, Pattie Richardson, who married Thomas Atkinson in 1859. The mill stayed in the Atkinson family for the next 100-plus years – even after a fire destroyed the original mill in 1950, and a new mill was built in its place in 1951. Today, the Wheeler family is building a new legacy.

Betty and Ray Wheeler purchased it in 1971 after working at the mill for several years. The second and third generations of Wheelers are blending technology with time-tested techniques passed on to them by generations of millers. “ In the early days at Atkinson Mill, while working long hours, Ray and his growing family were able to get the mill going again,” says his son, Glenn Wheeler. “Often he would take the advice of a number of older men in the community that had some milling experience or had worked in the mill themselves in years past. In fact, an older man first introduced Ray to the concept of ‘sharpening’ or ‘dressing’ the millstones to make them more productive.”

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Today, the mill produces stone-ground cornmeal, muffin and pancake mixes, breadings and specialty mixes, spices and seasonings, such as fruit cobbler mix, funnel cake mix and boiled potato seasoning. It also now operates a frozen food plant that produces frozen corn breadsticks and old-fashioned flatbread. Its most popular mixes are Sweet Betsy hush puppy mixes, seafood breaders, biscuit mixes and frozen hush puppies.

95 Atkinson Mill Rd., Selma, NC 27576
(919) 965-3547
atkinsonmilling.com
Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Tours are available Monday through Thursday.