My mother, who lives with us, has been asking about getting out for a hike recently. A while back I learned of a guided hike that the Friends of Sweeter Water Creek State Park volunteer organization leads each month as fundraiser. The hike leaves at dusk and hikes to the ruins of the New Manchester Textile Mill along the shores of Sweetwater Creek. This sounded like an interesting event that she might enjoy and so, we headed that way late Saturday afternoon.
We arrived quite early and the organizers had not begun setting up, but I spoke with them and they told us where to go and what to do. So, we relaxed on a park bench for a while and waited patiently while several other participants showed up. Eventually, the organizers handed out lantern tickets while collecting the requested $5 donation. Once that was done, they started lighting the candle-powered lanterns and trading them for the tickets. All of this took a while to get through and seemed painfully inefficient and disorganized, but the people were all very nice and weren't any great hurry anyway.
Eventually, about fifteen minutes late, we began the short hike. The hadn't quite set and so, the lanterns were unnecessary just yet, but they would be very helpful a bit later in the evening. The group maintained a steady, but relatively slow pace. It was still a little much for my mother though and so, we ended up at the rear of the pack. As the trail was full of rocks and roots, it's probably for the best. I would much rather we take our time than she trip and hurt herself.
The trail offered some nice views of the large and powerful Sweetwater Creek as we made our way to our final destination, the New Manchester Mill Ruins. Arriving at the ruins, the guide shared an interesting history lesson about what happened to the mill workers and the nearby city of New Manchester during the Civil War. Knowing that this was a primary source of textiles for the Confederate Army, the Union forces destroyed it and the workers were given a choice to either relocate to the north and never return or to be taken as a prisoner of war. The town itself fell into history and ceased to exist. The guide narrated the story with zeal and it was a great primer before heading beyond the fence and into the mill itself, or at least what remains of it.
By now, the darkness of night was beginning to settle in and being inside the carcass of this five-story behemoth of a building bathed only in candlelight had a since of eeriness about it. I bet this would be a great Halloween event. We got the chance to explore the ruins a little bit, but were warned not to touch or disturb anything, as this is considered an archaeological site.
After a short time, we headed back up to the trial and began making our way back to the parking area. The lanterns were now very helpful in illuminating our path and though my mother's slower pace allowed the rest of the group to get far ahead of us, a couple of the volunteers waited for us to ensure we returned safely. It was a fun event and I think she enjoyed it quite a bit, though she was pretty tired from the 1.9 mile hike. If you're ever in the area, it's worth checking out.
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