Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek

Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

1. Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek Marker

Inscription. About 1800, Col. Thomas Taylor erected the small building, ¼ mile upstream, where cotton goods were woven for his plantation needs. Here John and Edward Fisher later established one of the earliest spinning mills in Richland County, using slave labor and manufacturing cotton yarn.

Erected 1938 by The Columbia Sesquicentennial Commission of 1936. (Marker Number 40-40.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.

Location. 34° 1.113′ N, 80° 57.834′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is on Forest Drive (State Highway 12), on the right when traveling east. Located between Trenholm Road and Gregg Parkway,Forest Acres Community. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29206, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bethel Methodist Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); 30th Inf Division (approx. 1.2 miles away); 31st Inf Division (approx. 1.2 miles away); 4th Infantry Division (approx. 1.2 miles away); Bridge at Remagen Stone (approx. 1.2 miles away); 108th Division

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(approx. 1.2 miles away); Darby Field (approx. 1.3 miles away); 26th Inf Division (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Regarding Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek. Col. Taylor built a mill on Gill Creek in 1796. The ruins stand near the present Old Mill Circle off Lakeview Circle off Trenholm Road. One of the original millstones lies within the walls of the ruins. Cotton goods were woven at the mill for Col. Taylor's plantation use. The mill was called Taylor's Mill. Later John and Edward Fisher operated it as a cotton spinning mill, and it became known as Fisher's Mill.

Additional keywords. enslaved labor

Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek Marker, looking east along Forest Drive (State Road 12) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

2. Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek Marker, looking east along Forest Drive (State Road 12)

Located on the west side of Gill Creek

Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek Marker, looking west along Forest Drive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

3. Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek Marker, looking west along Forest Drive

Photographed by Anna Inbody, January 14, 2012

4. Mill Ruins

On private property, visitors are not welcomed.

Grindstone in the mill ruins image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anna Inbody, January 14, 2012

5. Grindstone in the mill ruins

Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,186 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 8, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 4, 5. submitted on February 1, 2012, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina.