Garrett family gift becomes part of the Fountain Inn Museum trust
By Kenzie Scott-Galloway
The first grist mill on Big Durbin Creek was built around 1813 for John Bruce (d. 1818), a veteran of the American Revolution, who also ran a sawmill and woolen mill. The present mill, built before 1860, is made of heart pine, with a granite foundation. It was built for Jesse K. Stone (1825-1899), and the mill was known as Stone’s Mill until his death. In 1899, the mill complex was sold to R.B. Holland, then to the Jones family soon afterward. Walter T. Jones used the mill to ground corn and wheat, ran a cotton gin, and operated a small grocery store there for many years. The grist mill, along with the shoals, rocks, and a nearby covered bridge, was a “favorite gathering place” in the vicinity until the mill shut down in the 1950s.
Planning 
The Fountain Inn Museum has started a committee and fundraiser with the goal of restoring the building and creating a park and walking trail on the surrounding land. The fundraising platform primarily used for this project is GoFundMe. You can show your support by going to this link: gf.me/u/yw8ui4. While this is a large undertaking, many have supported the museum in this effort and we hope that more will help us achieve our goal of promoting Fountain Inn’s history and culture through this project. ■
