Anderson Mill, Texas (Unnamed copywriting)

Anderson Mill, Texas is a unique little town with a surprising history. This town was started as a form of support to the Confederacy in the Civil War, progressed into a mill town, fell out of existence, and re-emerged in the late 20th century to become a quaint suburb in the Austin, Texas area.

Anderson Mill was founded by and is named after Thomas Anderson. In the late 1850’s, Anderson immigrated to the Austin area from Virginia in order to open a mill. He settled on an area on Cypress Creek, about 16 miles northwest of Austin and opened operations.

The mill was originally a black powder mill, making gunpowder for the Confederate Army. The Mill continued in this function until the end of the war, when Anderson converted it to a gristmill. He continued operation of the mill until 1884, and during this time also operated a cotton gin on the location. The town was comprised of the mill’s workforce and totaled about 30 people.

In 1876, a post office was opened in the small town, and Anderson himself was the acting postmaster. The small mill town continued along until the development and rise of steam-driven mills and cotton gins forced the mill out of business. In 1884, the mill and the post office were closed, and most of the residents moved to the neighboring town of Duval.

The town disappeared, and didn’t come back for almost a hundred years. In 1936, a historical marker was placed on the site of the original mill, but it was just a historical location until the late 1900’s.

As Austin began to experience rapid population growth in the late 20th century, many neighboring areas began to see a rise in population as well. What was originally its own small mill town became a small suburb of Austin. The Census Bureau designated it as a town and the population began to rise. In 2000, there were 8,953 residents of Anderson Mill.

On December 31, 2008, Anderson Mill finally lost its status as a town and was formally annexed by the city of Austin. What started as a small mill town turned into a small suburb, and finally became a part of a large, thriving city.

Home values in the Anderson Mill area have maintained a moderately stable level, despite of the recent housing crash. The median home value is about $158,000, which is slightly higher than the national average.