The 12-foot waterwheel at Yates Mill has started to wobble, and its bolts have begun to wear through the wood. A nonprofit seeks $400,000 to replace it.

RALEIGH Yates Mill qualifies as one of Wake County’s most scenic spots, a relic of the 18th century powered by a 12-foot waterwheel — backdrop to a thousand snapshots. At roughly 250 years old ...