Vickery Creek Falls, also called Vickery Creek Dam or Roswell Mill Falls, is located inside Old Mill Park in the middle of downtown Roswell, Georgia. When you get to Old Mill Park, there is a large parking lot. After you walk through the main parking lot, you will see an overlook of the covered bridge.
Reaching the Waterfall
From the covered bridge (before you cross), take a left. If you go down the trail on the left side of the creek, it is only 0.3 miles to the waterfall. There is a small observation deck that provides a great view of Vickery Creek Falls. There are also several good vantage points alongside the creek bank. The area between the path and the creek is roped off to keep people from crossing over into the water. However many people ignored the ropes and most were on the rocky areas, but a few were in the water. The day we went, the water was very high and appeared to have a strong current.
If you cross the covered bridge, there’s two directions you can go. If you go to the left, you’ll see two sets of stairs, one that goes up to the hiking trails and the other that goes down to the creek side.
Water Access is Prohibited
Effective Friday, August 16, 2024, water access at the Vickery Creek/Old Mill Park Waterfall was suspended. This decision was made in response to high numbers of park visitors to help protect the natural environment of the park and ensure visitors’ safety. Violations may result in fines of up to $250.
The History of Old Mill Park
In 1832, the state of Georgia held a lottery to distribute land located north of the Chattahoochee River. In 1835, Roswell King, with the help of his son Barrington, purchased land from the original land lottery owners to establish a manufacturing company and to create the town that was named after him.
The Roswell Manufacturing Company, incorporated in 1839, was one of the first textile mill enterprises in Cobb County (now known as Fulton County).
Vickery Creek Waterfall/Dam is man-made, created when the creek was dammed in 1836 to provide water power to the mill and factory for the Roswell Manufacturing Company, one of the largest textile mills in the southeastern United States.
The 1839 mill was a three-story brick structure, measuring 88 feet by 48 feet. In 1853, the company built a second factory. In 1864, Union forces burned most of the mills to the ground, leaving only the machine shop intact. All that remains of the 1839 mill are portions of a rock wall that served as part of the tailrace and foundation wall. This mill was never rebuilt. After the war, one of the mills was rebuilt.
A second cotton mill, built in 1882, was two-stories high and measured 152 feet by 77 feet. In 1926, a fire destroyed the original mill, built in 1853. The park is located on the original site of the 19th century Roswell Manufacturing Company mills. In 1947, Southern Mills, Inc. purchased the factory and produced laundry netting and carpet backing. The mill continued operating until July 1975.
The 1854 machine shop and a cotton mill, constructed in 1882 rebuilt on the site of the original mill, are the only intact structures remaining today.
Other Interesting Sites
The covered bridge over Vickery Creek was built by the City of Roswell. The bridge was built in Oregon using Douglas Fir trees and assembled onsite in two sections. A large crane was used to set the bridge in place. The bridge was dedicated on September 22, 2004.
Vickery Creek Covered Bridge connects the six miles of walking trails located inside Old Mill Park to the Chattahoochee River National Park trail. This bridge is ten feet wide and spans a distance of nearly 160 feet. The structure sits 30 feet above the normal water level of the creek in order to keep it above the 100-year flood plain height. This required a massive concrete retaining wall on one side and anchorage into the granite bedrock on the other side.
History buffs will enjoy the 1850s mill ruins and a historic machine shop. The Machine Shop is a two-story building designed with a late Georgian style structure. Today, the Machine Shop is an events facility. There are several historical markers detailing the history of the mill, its dam and the covered bridge located within the park.
Park Details
Portions of Old Mill Park are wheelchair accessible. The mill side of the bridge is handicapped accessible, but the slope is very steep and may be a challenge for wheelchair users. The bridge is smooth and accessible, however the opposite side is not so you would need to turn around if you want to go across the bridge.
Old Mill Park is a public park and is open from sunrise to sunset every day of the year, including holidays. Admission and parking are free. While the parking lot is large, it is frequently near capacity, so arrive early or late in the day to ensure a parking space. To reach the parking area pass the Roswell Mill building. Past the building you’ll see a parking area. If the lower parking area is full, there is also an upper parking area. The address for Old Mill Park is 95 Mill St, Roswell, GA 30075.
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