Hagood Mill Visitor Center & Entrance

The period style visitor center/gift shop building didn't have much to offer us this day as it was closed during our visit...

Hagood Mill Historic Site Entrance

Entering the site...

Hagood Mill Historic Site

Entering the site each of the main structures could be seen. From left to right are the Hagood Cabin (early 1800's), Murphree-Hollingswoth Cabin (1791), Petroglyph Site, and Hagood Mill (1845)...

Barn & Pottery Shed

The first structures we passed are re-created outbuildings housing pottery and farming displays. These structures house crafting demonstrations which take place once a month at the site...

Hagood & Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabins

These are the two historic cabins located at the Hagood Mill Site. Similar in design, they were typical dwellings for the era in which they were built. Neither cabin rests on the original sites they were built but both hail from the immediate surrounding area. The Hagood Cabin was loacted about a half-mile from the current site while the Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabin was originally located in Pickens...

Hagood Cabin (ca. early 1800's)

The Hagood Cabin was built by Benjamin Hagood on property about a half mile from the current site. The cabin sports two unique design features. First is the fact that it was constructed as a "five log-er"...meaning that only five logs, each 18" thick, were used to construct each wall floor to ceiling. Second is an interior log wall which divides what would usually be a one-room cabin into two rooms. It is speculated that this has either to do with the fact that the home may have doubled as a type of store or trading post or possibly it was just built this way for added strengthening of the structure...

Hagood Cabin - Interior

Two-thirds of the main is open living space as one might expect in a cabin from this period. Sparsely decorated, the spinning wheels are used during crafting demonstrations at the site...

Hagood Cabin - Interior

The unusual second room which may have housed a store or trading post is much smaller. Again, the large loom pictured here is likely used during crafting demonstrations at the site...

Hagood Cabin (ca. early 1800's)

It is obvious that a great deal of care has gone into restoring this cabin. As of 2003, though the major pieces of the structure were intact, it was basically a pile of wood on someones back property. The historic society which operates the site should be commended for the work they've done here bringing the old cabin back to life...

Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabin (ca. 1791)

The oldest structure at the site, and indeed one of the oldest in all of surrounding Pickens County, the Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabin was originally built for Baptist minister Reverend William Murphree. Later in its life, around 1868, it was used as temporary housing for Lafayette Hollingsworth of Pickens who was building another home nearby. The home fell into disrepair as it approached its 200th birthday but, in 1999, it was donated to the site and painstakingly reconstructed...

Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabin - Interior

As opposed to the Hagood Cabin the interior here has been set up a bit more like what it may have when the Murphree or Hollingsworth families lived here...

Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabin - Interior

The other half of the first floor living space. The cabin does have an upstairs but its off-limits to visitors...

Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site from Cabins

After touring the cabins we decided to head over to the adjacent Petroglyph Site before continueing on to the mill itself...

Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site

Opened within the past year, the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site houses a number of examples of ancient Native American rock art which has been discovered in the Upcountry of South Carolina...

Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site - Interior

Though a bit short on specimens, at least from what I was expecting, there is a ton of information on the various rock art sites in the region. I had no idea there were so many around...

Wickliff Plantation Native American Rock Carving

This specimen discovered near West Union, South Carolina has numerous figures and drawings on it...

Greenville County Petroglyph

Yet another cool specimen discovered in nearby Greenville County. The large cut on the right of the stone is thought to have been caused by a plow years ago while the rock art can be seen on the left...

Soapstone Bowl Rock

Though there was no accompanying interpretive sign, I recognized this (from a previous visit to Judaculla Rock in N.C.) as a boulder which Native Americans had begun to carve soapstone bowls from. You can see two 'bowls' which were never completed...

Hagood Creek

Behind the Petroglyph Site Hagood Creek tumbles over a couple small ledges creating this scenic cascade. This tiny stream was what powered the nearby mill which we were headed to next...

Hagood Mill Historic Site from Petroglyph Site

Looking back towards the mill (left) with the Murphree-Hollingsworth and Hagood Cabins to the right...

Hagood Mill (ca. 1845)

Though a mill was first built here in 1793, the current mill was constructed by Benjamin Hagood's son James in 1845. A gristmill by design, the business stayed in the Hagood family for the entirety of its working existence. I was shocked to discover that it had stayed in operation until 1972!!!

Hagood Mill (ca. 1845)

Originally the waters from Hagood Creek which powered the mill were dammed about a quarter-mile upstream and diverted via an earthen ditch into the spillway above. You can still see the remanants of this old ditch by following the nearby nature trail upstream. Today, water is brought up to the spillway using modern pumps...

Hagood Mill - Interior

Entering the mill we were confronted by a dizzying array of levers, belts, and gears....

Hagood Mill - Interior

Here are just a few of the pulleys which operate off the main shaft of the mills' water wheel...

Hagood Mill - Interior

Heading up to the second floor of the mill...

Hagood Mill - Interior

The craftsmanship required to construct this mill was mind-boggling to contemplate...

Hagood Mill - Interior

Looking across the interior of the old grist mill from the second floor. This was a very busy operation if you can't tell that already from the pictures. In 1870 alone the mill produced some 140,000 pounds of ground meal! I found myself wishing there was a historic guide on site to help me understand what I was looking at a bit better.

Hagood Mill (ca. 1845)

Looking out of the second floor window above the mill's massive water wheel...

Cabins from Hagood Mill

The Hagood Cabin (left) and Murphree-Hollingsworth Cabin (right) from one of the mill's second floor windows...

Hagood Mill (ca. 1845)

One of the more interesting features of the mill (which I wish could have been better explained to me) was the massive iron cogs attached to the inner part of the water wheel. It looks like a secondary shaft could be attached to the wheel via these cogs but I'm unsure as to their purpose. The wheel measures 20-feet high and 4-feet across and could produce 22-horsepower...

Hagood Mill (ca. 1845)

Heading across the creek and up the nearby nature trail we were able to look down the old headrace which feeds the waters of Hagood Creek to the mill...

Old Mill Moonshine Still

Up on the hill behind the mill is this old moonshine still display. I have my doubts this has anything to do with the mill site itself but the moonshine 'industry' was an important part of local history. Inside the shed are the remnants of a still confiscated off nearby Sassafras Mountain in 1969...

Old Mill Moonshine Still

When, in 1878, the federal government started requiring a license to distill whiskey (something that was quite expensive to acquire) many local mountain families were forced to go 'underground' to produce their personal supplies of alcohol. Ever since it has been a never-ending hunt for local law enforcement to seize hidden stills. This particular one was found and seized off nearby Sassafras Mountain in 1969...

Cotton Gin & Blacksmith Shop

On the edge of the property is this large structure containing an old cotton gin, dating to the 1890's, and a historic blacksmith shop...

Daniel Pratt Cotton Gin (ca. 1895)

Used to separate cotton seeds from cotton fiber, this large steam powered gin dates to the late 1890's. The old gin still works and is used in demonstrations from time-to-time, though unfortunately not on the day we visited...

Blacksmith Shop

A simple period blacksmith shop occupies a small room adjacent to the old gin...

Hagood Mill Historic Site

Though small we found that the old Hagood Mill Site had been quite a fascinating place to discover a bit more about our local history. If you're in the area I'd highly recommend a quick stop!