Edwards Mill

The Edwards Mill was once the name of two local mills, one owned by Thomas Edwards and another owned by Joseph Edwards. Although the two mills were similar in producing flour and wheat, one sadly burned down in the 1800s. The Edwards Mill that still stands today was owned by Joseph Edwards and was used as a water-powered gristmill.

Joseph Edwards and his family actually knew my ancestors pretty well because they lived in Chick Springs! The Edwards family, his first wife and seven children, originally came from Virginia, and Joseph fought in the American Revolution there. At the end of the war, he decided to move to South Carolina in 1787 and farmed one hundred twenty-five acres over his long life.

The first mill, built in the early 1800s, is located near Mountain Creek in what is now Taylors, South Carolina. Each year, the mill operated on this schedule: four months of full-time work, four months at three-fourths of the time, two months of halftime work, and two months of no hours of operation. It produced about 800 barrels of flour and 2800 of meal in 1860! That's a lot of good cakes and cornbread!