Water and Mills Were a Natural Fit Here

Transylvania County has an abundance of creeks, streams and rivers with shoals, cascades and waterfalls.  All of this water has brought not only people but industry to the area.  Mills were among the earliest local industries.  Corn, wheat, rye and other grains were ground for both human and animal consumption.  Water wheels turned machinery to cut lumber, make furniture, turn iron ore into iron bars, card wool and later to generate electrical power.  A community that had a mill and a store was an economic and social center.

There were mills throughout Transylvania County.  Previous Picturing the Past articles have mentioned Morgan Mill and Whitmire Mill in the Cherryfield area, a linsey-woolsey mill and an iron ore mill on the Davidson River, McCall’s Mill in Balsam Grove and Summey’s Mill at Connestee Falls. 

Breese Mill--the millrace ran parallel to Whitmire St.
and brought water from King Creek about a quarter of a mile away. 

There were two mills located on King Creek just north of downtown Brevard.  The Brevard Roller Flour Mill, also known as the Breese Mill, was built by William E. Breese in the late 1890s upstream from present day Brevard College.  

The Breese family home was located on the corner of what is today Caldwell and Whitmire Streets.  Breese grew and milled several different types of grain on his farm.  Like many other local mills, the Breese Mill on King Creek was destroyed on July 16, 1916 by flood waters from successive hurricanes and massive amounts of rainfall.  Later the mill wheel was sold to the owners of Morgan Mill. 

The larger building on the left is the old King Mill built by Jonathan King.
Across the creek is Samuel King's Mill.

Jonathan King had built a mill further up King Creek many years earlier.  The original mill ground wheat and corn.  When that mill was no longer operational his son, Samuel Barnett King built a new mill across the creek.   It was used to mill lumber and to manufacture furniture, along with other uses. 

James Columbus King, son of Samuel, continued to operate the mill throughout his entire lifetime.  A July 21, 1916 Sylvan Valley News article states that the mill had been seriously damaged and the flume was nearly a total loss from the recent storms.  A second headline reads, “J.C. King Died Last Tuesday.”  King, who had been ill for some time, never knew that the family mill had been lost.  

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.