A.J. Rose Mill

A.J. Rose Mill. . Archibald Johnson (A.J.) Rose was born in 1830 in Caswell County, North Carolina. Shortly after his birth, the family left North Carolina in a covered wagon for Missouri. At the age of 18, Rose traveled to California during the Gold Rush and found success as an outfitter but returned to Missouri in 1853 and purchased a farm. He then married Sallie Ann Austin (1837-1900), a former schoolmate, in 1854, and started a family. Sallie's uncle, Thomas F. McKinney, a Santa Fe fur trader and Texas Revolution veteran, persuaded Rose to sell his Missouri farm and move to Texas, arriving in 1857. The family settled near this former mill site on spring-fed creeks with rich soil for crops., Prior to and during the Civil War, those left at home faced challenges of providing local defense, education for their children and food for the community. The Rose family assisted with food from their family farm and use of their mill for wheat grain, often at no cost. Using skills he learned on his farm in Missouri, Rose built grist and saw mills on his property, providing relief from wartime privations. Many of the irrigation ditches and mills remained important resources for the community. During the early post-Civil War years, life on the frontier became increasingly dangerous so Rose decided to sell his farm and move to Bell County. Rose went on to become a leader in the Agrarian Reform movement and was a tireless advocate for education as a Salado College and Salado Public School trustee and member of the Texas A&M University Board of Directors. In 1894, he was appointed the State Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History. Rose died in 1903 and is buried in Salado next to his wife.