Anderson Mill
Spartanburg, South Carolina
A restoration project of The
Tyger River Foundation
We promote, protect and restore the natural and historic resources of the Tyger River Basin.
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Located at the intersection of the North Tyger River and Anderson Mill Road in Spartanburg County, Spartanburg, SC about 8 miles south-west of the town square in Spartanburg. Known earlier as Nicholl’s Fort, Nichol’s Mill and Tanner’s Mill. The mill gets its current name from James “Tyger Jim” Anderson who acquired the mill in 1831.
Anderson Mill
contains a single set of stones and has two water wheels and a variety of
process machinery. The mill is located
adjacent to a set of rapids with significant drop and was supplied by a short
wooden race that no longer exists.
The mill is important in local history because it is the site of the
first official event of Spartanburg County- a court held in the Spartanburg
District on the third Monday in June, 1785.
The original facility is believed to have been built about the time of
the American Revolution. The current building is the result of a major
rebuilding process after being heavily damaged by floods in the early
1900’s. The Mill is the oldest mill in
South Carolina still standing on its original foundation and capable of
restoration. It was last operated
commercially in the 1960’s by A. A. Sellars.
Anderson Mill (Anderson’s Mill) was listed in the National Register of
Historic Places in 1978. The photo of
the mill pond above and others can be seen on the website of SC Department of
Archives and History :
http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/spartanburg/S10817742017/index.htm
Anderson Mill is
currently in need of a lot of attention with significant structural problems in
the building but all major mill machinery is intact. The Tyger River Foundation is leading an effort which has a long
term goal of total restoration, periodic operation open to the public, and
establishment of an endowment for permanent funding.
We have some photos
taken during the summer of 2005 showing
the mill condition before our restoration project began. View them at www.AndersonMill.org/photos
(these photos can take some time to download so thanks for your patience)
The restoration
activity started in the Spring of 2006 with two work parties on March 18 and
April 1, 2006. Volunteers attacked with
vengeance the invasive plants that were taking over the site (primarily
Wisteria, Honeysuckle and privet). The
work party page, www.AndersonMill.org/Spring06 shows our activity with some before and
after photos.
The work continues
with additional clearing of overgrown areas on the site and the constant battle
with the invasive plants. http://www.AndersonMill.org/Spring07
In fall of 2007, more
detail grounds work was done along with seeding the area.
http://www.AndersonMill.org/Spring08
Several earlier
photos of Anderson Mill by Lewis Jones are on the Wofford College website. You can search for Anderson Mill in the
Sandor Teszler Library, http://www.Wofford.edu/SandorTeszlerLibrary/
or follow the link to the first picture in the series: photo
1
There is a surprising amount of information about old water
wheel mills on the web. We are
accumulating relevant links on our links page:
www.AndersonMill.org/links
We are optimistic
about the future of Anderson Mill and hope to continue our restoration efforts
in the near future.
For more information
about Anderson Mill and The Tyger River Foundation, contact Julian Hankinson,
864-574-6336 or email Friends at TygerRiver dot org.