Thanks for helping the city of Pickens celebrate our 150th anniversary!
Have fun learning about our history!
HAGOOD MILL: The current mill was built in 1845 by James Hagood.
Originally built circa 1825 and built at its present location in 1845, Hagood Mill is one of the oldest known surviving gristmills still producing grain products in South Carolina. It has the largest waterwheel in the state (20 ft.) and is the only waterwheel in SC still made of wood. Hagood Mill is located on Hagood Branch, earlier known as Jennings Creek, a tributary of the Twelve Mile River. Although mills had existed on the site as early as the 1790s, the current mill was built in 1845 by James Hagood. It remained in the Hagood family and continued to operate until 1966 when federal regulations requiring the testing of corn before grinding effectively ended the operations of commercial grist mills in Pickens County. During its historic period, the mill and the neighboring (non-extant) store were a gathering place for county residents.
The mill and surrounding property were donated to the Pickens Country Museum in 1973. The water wheel and mechanical components of the mill were rebuilt in the mid-1970s using much of the surviving fabric. It was restored again in the 1990’s. The 1845 mill is an unpainted, two-story building constructed of hand hewn logs and covered with clapboard siding. Its original dam site is 1,650 feet above it, where water from the creek was diverted to an earthen headrace (essentially a ditch). Today, water is pumped underground from the creek to the headrace, the last 80 feet of which is wooden. The overshot wooden water wheel, which produces 22 horsepower, is 20 ft (6.1 m) in diameter and 4 feet wide. The ring gear is 18 feet in diameter, and the two granite millstones weigh approximately 1,600 pounds each.
The Hagood Mill Historic Site & Folklife Center is the home of the historic Hagood Gristmill, on the National Register of Historic Places. With continued development since 1996, the site now features the fully operational gristmill, traditional barn with family farm exhibit, a visitors building with gift shop, two historic Pickens County log cabins dating from 1791 and 1925, a blacksmith shop, cotton gin building, moonshine still, and a large outdoor stage for the musical events. Prater’s Creek Bridge was later installed over Hagood Creek. This 64 foot bridge was originally a WPA era steel bridge project. Monthly events on the 3rd Saturday regularly attract visitors. Traditional arts, folk life and living history demonstrations include milling, blacksmithing, cotton ginning, moonshining, spinning, weaving, bee-keeping, metalsmithing, quilting, woodcarving, flint knapping, chair caning, open hearth cooking and more.