A mill has been on this site for approximately 230 years. Isaac Timms settled in the Pendleton District of South Carolina, coming from Maryland, in 1780. His first mill, with partner, Sam Estridge in 1784, was located about one mile from the present site on Six & Twenty Creek. By 1820, Isaac was running the mill sans partner, also buying 996 acres from the state in the early 1840's. An August freshet washed the dam, mill, and it's newly installed, but as yet unused wheat flour milling machinery down-stream in 1847. Isaac had partnered with his son, Elijah, since 1836.

After the devastation in '47, Issac and son, Jesse, rebuilt the mill & dam at the same location, with the help of a couple negro slaves, in a new partnership in the autumn of 1851. The new mill, finished in August 1854, was about 3.5 stories in height of framed-timber. Jesse acquired the mill a few years later, upon the death of Isaac. Jesse, like his father, enjoyed a good reputation as a miller, second to none, for producing high-quality, highly palatable, flour & meal. Jesse passed this life at the ripe old age of 78.

Solomon R. Timms took over operating the mill from his father about 1890, upon Jesse's death. A new mill was built by Solomon in 1898, about 2,000 yards from the old mill in a more favorable stream location. Solomon's milling career began early, when he was old enough to put grain into the hopper of the grindstone set. Soon a reputation of honesty and integrity had developed that became known throughout the area.

The fourth generation of Timms to own and operate the mill was Abraham Lesser Timms, Solomon Richard Timms' son. During this era, the mill was equipped with French buhrs, first-rate cleaning machinery and bolting unit, and other improvements to further the demands of the mills constituary.

A cotton gin, feed mill, turning lathe, saw mill, and store were all operated in the early 1900's in conjunction with the mill. The preceding info. gleaned from Dixie Miller Magazine article, January 1919

David Wortham began the restoration process early in 2002 with help from a few milling consultants and local volunteer labor. The wheel was refurbished with Furman Moore, a sheet metal worker, making new buckets for the original wheel, using the old axle and spokes.

Wortham used Hagood's Mill in Pickens County as a model, hopefully to have the wheel operational, grinding grits and corn meal using water from Six & Twenty Creek, by the end of 2003. The mill has been actually operating since 2004. The current Timms Mill wheel operated from 1933-1962.

Short term plans are for the mill to be open to the public at least one day a week. A crane was used to lift the 14' wheel onto a lowboy trailer for transport from Moore's shop to the mill site. Many photos are available on the website: of the wheel and its installation. Click on Gallery, then waterwheel photos.

The last miller to operate the mill was Charlie J. Matthews, who closed the milling operation, of the 1898 built mill, in 1960. Information for the last four photos was gleaned from a newspaper article titled "Wheel of History", Anderson Independent-Mail, Upstate Edition, Thursday Sept. 11, 2003 by Alison Glass. The following info. is from the website, www.TimmsMill.com/ The mill will be grinding Saturday afternoons between 1 and 4, and some Wednesday afternoons. Please call ahead, 231-7118, or e-mail before coming. GPS: 34° 39.41'N, 82° 38.49'W 761' elevation