TAYLOR COUNTY, GA - History    Hill's Mill

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khill90444@etcmail.com  Haines Hill

Hill's Mill in Taylor County
By Theron Haines Hill

The mill was powered by an undershot water wheel - the power
came from water moving thru the wheel, which was under water
(Hill's mill in Schley county was powered by an overshot
wheel - water ran over the top to produce power).

I watched my "Big Papa" (Lewis Napoleon "Pole" Hill) grind
corn meal for the public in the late 40's.  They would
arrive at the mill with their dried corn.  The corn would be
put through a "sheller", removing the corn from the cob.  He
then measured the corn and removed a small amount for his
pay.  He would then start the rocks to grind the corn.  My
grandfather (Big Papa) was hard of hearing - but he knew
from the vibration if the mill was correct.  He would then
"feel" the meal to see if it was correct.  The meal was warm
and tasted good to a 10-year- old boy.  The cut of the
"rock" could be changed to produce "grits".  He could also
just crack the corn - which many folks used then as chicken
feed.

The stream also powered a cotton gin, small shingle mill and
a feed mill.

When my mother (Lucile Parker Hill) and father (Theron Hill)
married in August of 1933 they lived on the farm and worked
with Big Papa operating the mill.  My father bought a 1931
black Ford pick-up truck in 1934 - the year I was born.  He
developed a good business selling meal, grits, eggs and
sausages.  He would deliver to stores in Buena Vista,
Ellaville and Columbus.  When I was about two, I started
traveling with my father in the truck.  One day when we were
stopped in Geneva, I saw and heard my first train.  I was
scared to tears.  Another time I was caught on the front
porch dropping eggs over the side.  Daddy had a case of eggs
ready for market - I would pick up an egg, go to the edge
and drop it and soon as it splashed I would get another one,
Dad lost some profit that day before they caught me.  But
the law of gravity does work.  We moved to Thomaston in 1936
- but we returned to the farm/mill for regular visits until
1952.

Hill's mill was a great place for friends and relatives.
Almost every Sunday there would be 30 to 40 people in during
the day.  In the summer we would swim in the pond or ride in
the small rowboat.  We would fish during the week, but never
on Sunday.  There was a tradition of throwing a newly
married couple in the pond regardless of weather and it
wasn't unusual for one of the parties not to know of the
tradition until it was too late.

During the war years, 1940-1945 you could hear the artillery
firing at Fort Benning - the sound just traveled down the
creek.  Little did I know that I would be making the noise
in the late 1950's.

My "Big Mama" (Lillie May Woodall Hill) was a small lady -
she ran the show and could she cook.  That was the real
reason many of our "friends" came by on Sunday.  The "dining
room" table would hold 12 to 14 people.  They would serve at
two tables on Sunday noon plus those who dropped by later in
the afternoon to swim.

Then there was special occasions such as the 4th of July -
Big Papa's birthday was the 3rd of July (differs from his
tombstone which states Sept 6th) so this was a reason for an
expanded party - this one went outside and everyone brought
food.  Several of the boys would open a pit and cook 6 or 8
hams or shoulders.  Aunt Lala's family made the famous Hill
BBQ sauce.  All of the families brought enough food to feed
an army.  But Aunt Odessa would out do them all - she was a
great cook.  She had an old fashioned large "steamer trunk"
which she always brought full of food.  Most of these
occasions were held at Hill's Mill in Taylor County.  On
some occasions we would go to Concord Methodist Church near
Lewis Hill's Mill in Schley County for our big meals.  This
was done more after Aunt Ozzie bought Lewis Hill's mill back
into the family in 1947.  The Concord Methodist Church is
the grave location of Lewis & Mary Hill, Pole & Lillie Hill
and three of the brothers.  Big Papa (Pole) was Methodist
and Big Mama (Lillie) was a member of the Primitive Baptist
Church (Mount Nebo), they made an agreement that whoever
died first the other would select the burial site.  Lillie
died first, thus they were buried at Concord with his family
not at Nebo with her family (Woodalls)

**Note:  The Phillipi Church minutes revealed that they had
attended that Church in the early years, and might both have
been members until they moved to Taylor County. - Keith**