The Right Man for the Job

Nicholas Patrick Marries His Love for History, Construction in Historic Preservation Project at Prater’s Mill

By:  Patricia M. Holloway

Prater’s Mill is old by anyone’s standards. Built in 1855, the structure has seen the evolution of milling technology go from waterpower to electricity. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Though the Prater’s Mill Foundation still cranks up the mill annually for the Prater’s Mill Country Fair, it mostly serves as an important piece of history reminiscent of simpler times. Prater’s Mill stands as one of the community’s most prized possessions. But time takes its toll on buildings and the Prater’s Mill Foundation, who manages the mill, and Whitfield County, who owns the property, wanted to ensure that this important piece of history wasn’t lost. So they approached the Dalton-Whitfield Archway Partnership to use its university resources to complete a master plan to include a Historic Structures Report, a catalogue of the buildings, and a landscape plan.

 Archway found the perfect fit for the challenge in UGA graduate student Nicholas Patrick. He is currently working on his Master’s degree in Historic Preservation at the UGA College of Environment and Design.

 Patrick grew up in the construction business. The son of a successful architect who owned his own construction firm in Atlanta, he spent his free time working for his dad from the age of 12 to 24. Like a lot of high school graduates, Patrick wasn’t sure what he wanted to pursue as a career—he thought about attending electrical trade school or majoring in graphic design at the Savannah College of Arts and Design—but instead he left home to attend The University of Mississippi. Wanting to return to Georgia, he transferred to Georgia Perimeter College and then to the University of Georgia because of the high level of academics, in-state tuition and its proximity to home. He says he was always a history buff and enjoyed researching the past so he decided to major in history and possibly teach after graduation. But he took a couple of undergraduate Historic Preservation classes and was hooked. So after he received his Bachelor’s of Arts in History, Patrick enrolled in the graduate program in Historic Preservation as a great way to marry all of his past experience in construction and his love of history.

UGA Archway Operations Coordinator Matt Bishop approached Historic Preservation Program Coordinator Mark Reinberger about the Prater’s Mill project and finding a student who would be a good fit.  “UGA's College of Environment and Design has award-winning undergraduate and graduate degree programs,” said Bishop,  “including Historic Preservation, that are ranked among the very best in the nation.” His professors identified Patrick as a possible candidate because of his specific career interests and his level of expertise.

“I was told that they were looking for someone to assist two Landscape Architect master’s students who were devising a landscape plan,” said Patrick. “Mark Reinberger approached me because I have experience in writing Historic Structure Reports. I interviewed with Matt Bishop and jumped right in.”

Patrick has visited the historic site twice thus far. His first visit was a general introduction to the property while his second visit involved conducting fieldwork to inspect the condition of the buildings on the site. He says he was surprised after his analysis of the structures, particularly of the mill itself. “The integrity of the building was surprising,” said Patrick,  “because many of the old mills have deteriorated because they are located on water, which can be highly destructive to wooden structures. But because Prater’s Mill had been used in milling through the 1960’s, it has been maintained.” Patrick says the Mill is the oldest structure on the property. “There is a store across Highway 2 that was built in the 1870’s or so, and the homestead was constructed in the 1910’s. Patrick adds that a couple of barns, a former doctor’s office, a cotton gin, and a caboose were added to the Prater’s Mill property in recent years.

Patrick’s master’s thesis is on Prater’s Mill and how it illustrates the socio-economic evolution of Northwest Georgia. In addition to completing the Historic Structures Report, he is also preparing a maintenance plan for use by Whitfield County so that the mill building can be properly maintained and not lost to the elements or to improper upkeep.  While his historic structures report will focus just on the mill itself, Archway will bring other UGA students to work on the landscaping of the site more generally.   

Patrick says another benefit of his work will be that the information will supplement the documentation on the National Register. “The site was named to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970’s which was before they required extensive documentation,” Patrick said. His complete report will provide historians and others interested in the Mill with important information that wasn’t available before.

Bishop says these types of projects are mutually beneficial for everyone involved. “The Prater's Mill project in Dalton-Whitfield County is a great “win-win” for the community and UGA,” Bishop said. “The community gets a product that will greatly enhance one of its most cherished historic assets, and the UGA student assigned to the project, Nick Patrick, has experienced a great learning opportunity outside the classroom with real-world application. “

Patrick expects to finish his report by the end of June. And the experience working with the historic Mill will certainly serve him well as he pursues his future goals. “I would like to be a preservation consultant or architectural historian,” Patrick adds. “At some point, I would like to build custom furniture and wood products, and I am also interested in becoming a historic illustrator.” Maybe the craftsmen of the past have rubbed off on Patrick.





Photo taken in Prater's Mill Country Store by UGA Photograpy Student Anna King in Summer 2009.