Recreational Property For Sale, Wooded Property For Sale, Retreat For Sale, Bennettsville, South Carolina

183 acre, Mill Pond, Marlboro County SC,
Circa 1835

Approximately 100 acres of lake and 83 acres of land with long frontage on Crooked Creek and Burnt Factory Road. This property is located in a beautiful rural area less than 10 minutes to the Cities of Bennettsville, SC and Laurinburg, NC. 1 hour and a half to SC beaches, Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC.

This South Carolina Historic Site was named for a cotton mill built in 1835 by J.N. Williams, John McQueen and W.T. Ellerbee. They purchased more than 800 acres of land around Crooked Creek and began at once the three story building to be the first cotton factory built in our county. The operatives were slaves belonging to the men named. In this factory was made some homespun cloth and thread Nos. 6 and 12. The products of this plant not used for home consumption were shipped to northern markets via Pee Dee River to Georgetown and on North. In 1851 this mill burned caused by a spark originating in the cotton picker at which time Mr. Meekin Townsend, father of Judge C. P. Townsend owned the mill. Hence the name of the "Burnt Factory". Burnt Factory Mill Pond and all of its rich history remains here today.

The raceway to generate power for grinding is still intact and part of the metal workings are still in place. The dam is a county maintained road. The water level can be raised or lowered with ease by thick boards at the raceway that can be added to or removed.

The pond is well stocked with bass -- some over 10 pounds -- large mouth bass, jackfish, red breast perch, warmouth perch, shellcracker, some catfish and crappie. The stream bed of the creek running through the woods and down to the lake is deeper generally than the other areas of the pond, which is good for fish in extreme heat or cold. Many fish gather in the creek just inside the woods during the hottest weather. Also there are two good fishing spots just below the dam: one just below the old raceway and the other just below the bridge at the other end of the dam. Turkey, deer, quail and dove provide excellent hunting opportunities. There are three permanent duck blinds in the upper point of the lake where you will find wood ducks, mallards, black duck, teal and Canada geese.

There are many wood duck boxes ringing the lake's perimeter put in place by the current owner. He cares for the boxes, emptying the shells from the hatched wood ducks and putting in new wood shavings. The owner has hatched between 500 and 700 wild wood duck annually from these boxes. Some years he gets three hatchings in the same boxes. The current owner has been honored by the State of South Carolina and has been featured in the State of South Carolina Wildlife magazine for his conservation efforts.

Price: $450,000