Hagood Mill Historic Site, SC (10-31-15)
Read MoreHagood & 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 (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...
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
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)
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...
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...
Dave Kathy Weemhoff
on November 1, 2015Quite the place -- love it when great care is taken to preserve history!