Mills in the Upcountry: a Historic Context, and a Summary of a Mill ...

Conclusions and Recommendations
Small, water-powered industries played an important role in South Carolina’s history and
their significance is reflected in the number of mill sites that are scattered across the Upcountry.
The location of mill seats, often situated at shoals or falls, is an important consideration in the
historic landscape and development of an area (Joy et al. 2000; Joseph et al. 2004). Shoals were
important places in prehistory as well as in history, and it is likely that prehistoric components
exist at or near mill sites. Shoals also provided stream and river crossings and thus were critical
components in the transportation system of the state.
Future studies should employ a regional perspective to address how the technology and
setting of the mill under investigation compares with other mills in that region. Newman (1984)
and others have noted that millers were conservative about adopting new technologies (i.e.
turbines). Was that really the case, or did the continued use of vertical wheels and tub wheels
simply reflect pragmatic and/or economic decisions? By the time turbines came to the forefront
the Upcountry was well populated and nearly every favorable mill seat had already been
developed. There may have been little economic need to replace old technology with new. For
those researching individual mill sites site, census research should be undertaken to record the
types of motive power being used by mills in the region as well as changes over time. Census
research can also supply specific data concerning the mill’s products, number of employees, and
the number of days per year that each mill operated. As valuable as the manufacturing censuses
are, they only provide a snapshot, and a blurry one at that, of the mills in operation at the time.
This is amply demonstrated by the number of mills documented by historians in Pickens County
(65) compared to the number listed in the 1880 manufacturing census (35). As introduced earlier,
the manufacturing census only listed mills that grossed over $500.00 per year, so the smaller
mills, possibly the majority of mills that were in operation, were not counted. This would also
explain Joy et al’s (2000) observation that merchant mills outnumbered other types in their study
area in the late nineteenth century.
It was beyond the scope of this project to examine the vast array of historic maps from
each county, but this should in conjunction with studies of individual mills. This also would
identify other mills on the same drainage as well as adjoining drainages and provide data
concerning their spacing and topographic setting. Historic research (deeds, tax records, will
abstracts, etc.) should be undertaken for the mill itself and the surrounding region to determine
how the mill influenced settlement patterns and fit into the historic landscape.
Mills should be classified based on type (grain mill – private, plantation, custom,
merchant; saw mill; cotton gin; combination), and motive power. Archeological studies should
document the plans and profiles of mill foundations, dams, raceways and other
technological/architectural features to assess the type of water wheel used to power the mill, and
to determine if turbines replaced vertical wheels over time. If water wheels have survived, they
should be excavated, recorded, and, if feasible, salvaged and preserved. The archeological work
should also assess the role that erosion and sedimentation played on the history and operation of
the mill, and if mill machinery changed because of it.
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