ANDERSON MILL, TEXAS. Anderson Mill, sometimes called
Anderson's Mill or Anderson's Mills, was located on Cypress Creek
in northwestern Travis County, about sixteen miles northwest of
Austin. It was named for Thomas Anderson, who came to Texas
from Virginia in the late 1850s. In the early 1860s he built a mill to
make gunpowder for the Confederacy; when the war was over he
converted the operation to a gristmill. Farmers came from miles away
to have their corn ground, sometimes having to camp near the mill for
several days to wait their turn. In the early 1870s Anderson added a
cotton gin to his operation. A post office opened at Anderson Mill in
1876 with Anderson as postmaster. In 1884 the community had a
population of thirty. When the post office was discontinued later that
year, mail for area residents was sent to Duval. The development of
steam-powered mills and gins gradually forced Anderson out of
business. After his death in 1894 his family sold the equipment and
moved to Austin. A historical marker was placed near the mill site in
1936.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: John J. Germann and Myron Janzen, Texas Post
Offices by County (1986). Ellen Seals, ed., A Legend Collection:
Fact and Fantasy (Austin, 1981).
Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl
"ANDERSON MILL, TX." The Handbook of Texas Online.
<http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/AA/hva17.html>
[Accessed Wed Jun 2 21:44:51 1999 ].
Anderson Mill Museum conducts tours on the fourth Sunday
of each month, from 2-5 PM, March through October only, weather permitting.
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