Millwood Grist Mill Millstone - Millwood, TX
N 32° 59.648 W 096° 25.526
14S E 740554 N 3653580
The stone from Millwood's old grist mill is preserved just inside the main gate to historic Millwood Cemetery, which is about all that remains of the town.
Waymark Code: WMRZ3F
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/25/2016
Views: 5
The millstone is protected by a brick enclosure, and behind it is a small, metal sign that provides some background:
Grist Mill Wheel
Imported from France 1840
Used in the Millwood grist
mill until 1920 located
100 yards east of this site
Operators of the grist mill
include Denton Helmstettler
John Wesley Foote
John Bowman
Mr. Helmstetler and Mr. Foote are both buried here. The Handbook of Texas Online (see link) provides some Millwood history:
Millwood is on the East Fork of the Trinity River ten miles east of Wylie in southeastern Collin County. The town originated during the gold rush days of 1849–50, when people infected with gold fever passed through Texas on their way to California. Because of the few established roads and trading posts in the Lone Star State, the forty-niners purchased goods wherever they could. Drury Anglin, who owned the land Millwood eventually was established on, started a general store on his farm because of the increasing number of persons who stopped at his place in search of food and supplies. Within a few years a community was organized and named Millwood because of a lumber mill near Anglin's land. On May 21, 1851, a post office was established.
By 1885 Millwood had a population of 100, a church and school, and businesses including a flour mill, a gristmill, and a cotton gin. The community, however, never surpassed the population figure reached in 1885. Bypassed by the St. Louis and Southwestern Railway, Millwood was unable to compete with the transportation and business facilities at nearby Wylie. On December 14, 1907, the mail to Millwood was discontinued and sent to Royse City in Rockwall County, four miles southeast of the town. Over the next three decades the population of Millwood steadily declined. In 1940 the community had ten persons and one business. In 1986 these figures remained the same.
Type of mill: Other
What did this millstone make?: Flour
Status of Stone: Public Display
Website containing relating information: [Web Link]
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