In 1857, R.G. Grant of Coryell County built a wooden mill at this site, using the waters of the Bosque River to power his operation. Two years later, the property transferred to J.H. Stinnett, and the mill building was used as a commissary and storehouse for the Confederate Army during the Civil War, 1861-1865. Stinnett sold the mill to William L. Kemp in 1867, and Kemp tore down the mill and built a new one of stone.
Kemp's mill supplied flour and cornmeal to Texas frontier settlements. Ox carts hauling the flour and meal traveled in groups to places like Brownwood, Camp San Saba or Forts Concho, McKavett, Mason, Griffin and Chadbourne. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, former U.S. Senator and Governor of Texas Richard Coke had an interest in the mill. He and his partners sold their interest in 1883.
From 1890 to 1901, the mill operated under the name of Clifton Steam and Water. Renovations during this time added to its picturesque quality, including a third story above the unusual S-curve Mansard roof, as well as a cupola housing the grain elevator.
The water-powered mill had an auxiliary steam plant for power during low stages of the river and dry seasons. In 1909, the Clifton Electric Light Company purchased the mill and converted it to an electric power plant, but they sold it in 1911. The mill sat vacant until it was purchased and demolished in 1915. The City of Clifton bought the site in the 1960s.
Despite its demolition in the early 20th century, the mill building survives in memory and photographs. Here, early settlers used the power of the river to feed and fuel Texas' burgeoning frontier. (2003)