As progress and development came to early Van Zandt County, it was highlighted by advancements in business and industry, not just farming and ranching. One of the most observable indicators of the county’s development was found in the production and processing of farm products and food production. Grist milling, and other kinds of milling and ginning were among the first ranking industries or productive businesses found in many towns and smaller communities all around Van Zandt County.
As people were settling in and around Van Zandt County in the mid to late 1800s, their primary food sources came from hunting, the crops they grew and the livestock they raised. This area of East Texas was a veritable paradise for hunting deer, wild turkey, squirrels, prairie chicken and quail. In the United States, many of the food preparation customs had been brought over from Europe and brought here to East Texas by settlers coming from the northeastern states. One of the many food preparation customs had to do with the specialized methods for grinding grain into flour for making bread. A blending of those early imported customs and processes with what was learned from the Indians and the Spanish gave the people of east Texas the capability to make the different types of good tasting breads to add to their dinner table.
Corn meals and flours date far back into human history and had certainly become staples back in the eastern states. Many different and dynamic methods had been developed for utilizing those raw farm products. Early on, the wheat and corn had been ground by hand using stones and other primitive methods such as the Indians had used. For example, the settlers learned from the Indians how to pound corn into meal inside a wooden stump or hollowed out log. One of the less labor-intensive and more efficient ways they learned was to grind wheat into flour called grist. Most of the early methods east Texas settlers learned for grinding wheat into grist came from the Spanish as they operated crude grist mills around Texas in their Spanish missions.
In Van Zandt County, one of the earliest mills was built by William McBee which was located on McBee Creek (named after his family,) and was located north of Wills Point close to the northern boundary line of the county. McBee erected what was called a tread-mill known as the first power mill built in the county. The power was furnished by placing oxen or horses on an inclined tread wheel which when walked on by the animals would turn the mill wheel for grinding. The power of the mill was determined by the number and weight of the animals placed on the tread mill.
Another early variation of mills in Van Zandt County was erected by W.W. Stirman located on a creek at the southern end of the county. Its uniqueness came from the fact that it was powered by water. This variation of mill was called an under-shot mill because of the way the water ran onto the mill wheel. It consisted of a large wheel that dipped down into the creek’s water and around the perimeter of the wheel floats were attached and when they dipped down into the water they were pushed forward by the water flow. Since this action was at the bottom of the wheel it was called an under-shot mill wheel.
One of the most popular types of mills was powered by flowing water striking paddles on a paddle wheel attached to a shaft running inside the mill, which was attached to a grind stone or millstone to grind the grain. The main problem with this type of mill was the dependency on the volume and flow of running water. Therefore, this type of mill had to be located on or very near a river or fast flowing creek in order to provide the driving force for the paddle wheel.
Mill Creek, which ran through Canton, got its name from the many water mills located along its distance. This creek was originally named Beaver Creek because of the many beavers that made it home. Probably the most famous mill along Mill Creek was the Moore Mill located in the southern part of the county. This mill was far more complete and more extensive than others. It was some three stories high and was painted red, leading it to become known as the Red Mill. It housed a furniture factory, a grist mill and a cotton gin. Due to its excellent milling reputation for quality, many people from all around the county would bring their wheat to this mill to be ground into flour. Powered by the waters of Mill Creek, this mill had a dam across the creek about half a mile above where the mill was located, and a flume was cut along the edge of the creek bank to carry the water from the dam directly to the mill wheel.
Another prosperous and popular mill was located approximately 10 miles southeast of Canton on the Heifer Creek. The mill, which contained both a gin and a grist mill was built just before the start of the Civil War by Daniel G. Martin and was called Martins Mill. Martin was so highly revered by the people in the area for his generosity and character that they created a town located in what was known as the Cream Level Valley, and named it Martins Mill.
At this point in history, all flour was made from wheat. White, more purified flour was not introduced until the late 1800s. Early on there were no monetary costs or payments to the millers. The farmer would bring their own grain to the mill for processing and would receive back the ground meal or flour, minus a percentage called the miller’s toll. In the county there were a few very large and famous mills, some of which we have already mentioned, that were the center of massive meal and flour production. For the most part, there were mills all over Van Zandt County located almost anywhere there was a flowing stream of water to provide the mill’s power. One travelling around this part of east Texas and passing through a community or an established town was sure to find an active mill and/or gin. The signs of milling as part of our history are found all around us from the names of towns to historical markers indicating a mills location and history. There’s no doubt that milling was a large part of Van Zandt County’s development.
