[2] The site they chose had been the location of a previous sawmill named the Downey Mill at Hastings Bottom.

The mill was in operation by 1870, and a formal town plat was submitted for taxation at the Clayton County Courthouse in August, 1875.

[2] The townsite includes the gristmill, a bridge across the Turkey River, cooperage, smoke house, an old inn, and the livery barn.

The original investors were no longer interested in maintaining or updating the mill as stone grinding was becoming a thing of the past.

The area is now a 155-acre (63 ha) park with hiking trails, a primitive campground, and a place to launch canoes.