Voca Waterwheel Mill
N 31° 01.302 W 099° 12.979
14R E 479353 N 3432026
Under an old oak beside the right of way pull over space on TX-71 a few miles SE of Brady, TX is this interesting TX marker telling of a waterwheel mill that was used to grind grain, cut lumber, and gin cotton in this area of the Texas Hill Country.
Waymark Code: WM130E8
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/20/2020
Views: 5
Sadly, this Texas historical marker has been subject to lots of target practice! But, it is still readable. This marker is tucked a large old oak tree along side a pull over on the side of TX-71 connecting Llano, TX with Brady, TX. The marker is about 8.5 miles SE of where TX-71 joins into US-87 just below Brady. It can be hard to spot if you are not actively looking for it.
The marker tells of a father and his sons building a waterwheel mill in this area of Texas to help the farmers to grind their grains to flour. Over time, it was also adapted to saw rough-cut lumber for the new settlers to use in framing their houses, barns and fences. Later, it was further adapted to gin cotton, a boon to those nearby cotton growers since a power-driven gin was multiple times faster than ginning the cotton by hand, no matter how many slaves were tasked to do it.
Marker Number: 5658
Marker Text:
(1/4 mile East)
Built 1876, by H.A. Chadwick and sons, William and Milam, who constructed other mills in the region. Water was diverted from river by a still-visible, 1300-yard millrace. Originally used to grind wheat and corn; a saw was soon added to provide "rawhide" lumber. First cotton gin in the county, powered by this wheel and producing 3 bales per day, was constructed in early 1880s. A store operated near the mill for a short time, but moved to Voca after landlord refused to allow the sale of bitters. Mill operated until washed away by flood, June 1899. (1972)
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