Henderson Mill Road

Henderson Mill Road is a road in DeKalb County in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It travels from Northlake to the northwestern edge of Tucker, and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Remnants of the historic mill are located near the intersection with Midvale Road, designated with a historic marker. Henderson Middle School and Henderson Mill Elementary are both located along the road. Northlake Mall is located at the southern terminus of the road, while Embry Village Shopping Center is located at the northern terminus. Near its northern end, the road passes under Interstate 285 (I-285).
Early history and etymology
Early maps show the road as one of the few paths, then in existance, connecting the farmsteads and small communities in what eventually became the northern part of DeKalb County.
In 1821, the area was in Militia District 572 in Henry County. The State created DeKalb County on December 9, 1822 and District 572 became DeKalb’s 18th District, or the Brownings District, reportedly named for Andrew Browning. Before the founding of Decatur in 1822, and well before that community became the county seat, many of the area's legal affairs were conducted out of Brownings Courthouse in nearby Tucker. Henderson Mill Road was an avenue of commerce, with the grist mill as its focal point, which also provided a primary means of reaching the nearby seat of justice. The road intersected with Briarcliff Road, the ridgeline path coming up from Atlanta, at an point adjacent to North Lake. The merged roads provided a direct and well-traveled route to the community of Tucker, and Brownings Courthouse. Henderson Mill Road got its name from the grist mill owned and operated by Greenville Henderson (1792-1869) and his son Rufus (1823-72), built at the point where a small tributary of the North Fork of Peachtree Creek crossed over (eventually under) the road. The Tucker Historial Society notes that, along the road, near the mill was the old frame Henderson Post Office. Mail was brought by horse and buggy from Decatur for people in the Tucker area. During the Atlanta campaign of the American Civil War elements of the federal Army of the Tennessee marched from Roswell to Decatur. 15th Army Corp moved to Brownings Courthouse, but for strategic reasons, and lack of water, withdrew to Henderson's Mill where they camped on the night of July 18, 1864. They continued on to Decatur the next day. The ante and post bellum grist mill ceased operation prior to the beginning of the 20th century, the Henderson post office was abandoned in 1895, and the mill pond was demolished in 1911. The road is also known for one particular house. 3016 Henderson Mill Road has been unoccupied for more than a decade. It has been described as a church, a party palace, derisively as a "gaudy McMansion", and marketed as a "Taj Mahal". The structure, judged to be "functionally obsolescent" by the local taxing authority, has been valued, at various times, between $430,000 and $1.2 million. It is reported to be between in size.
Route description
Henderson Mill Road begins at an intersection with Briarcliff Road in Northlake. This intersection is on the southwestern edge of Northlake Mall. The road travels to the northwest, and then begins curving to the north-northwest. On the northwestern corner of the mall, it intersects Northlake Parkway NE. Just after curving to the north-northeast, it has an intersection with Briarcliff Way NE and Amblewood Court. It bends slightly to the northeast and passes Henderson Mill Elementary School. At Leslie Drive NE, the road passes northwest of North Lake. After crossing over Henderson Mill Creek, it curves to the north-northeast and intersects Midvale Road NE. The road travels in a fairly northern direction and passes Henderson Middle School. Then, it intersects both Henderson Road and Evans Road. After that, it passes east of Mercer University before curving to the northwest. The road crosses under I-285 without access and meets its northern terminus, an intersection with Chamblee-Tucker Road.
Public transportation
Henderson Mill Road is served by MARTA bus route 126, which runs from Northlake Mall to Chamblee.
Major intersections

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See Also

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