Navarro Mills, located between Dresden and Spring Hill, was settled for several reasons.  Being near Dresden (which was settled in 1841) and Spring Hill (settled in 1838) was one reason.  The first flour mill in Navarro County was located on 7 acres near the present Navarro Mills Baptist Church was probably the greatest reason for the early settlement.  People would come from miles around to bring their grain and sometimes wait a week to get their flour.  Settlers would often remark about going to the Navarro Mill, thus the name Navarro Mills became the permanent name for the community.

The Handbook of Texas published in 1952, Vol. II, page 26, speaks of a saw mill and also states the saw mill was how Navarro Mills received its name.  The Historical Society feels the information is incorrect.  In all our research we found no record of a saw mill located in the community of Navarro Mills.   In the 1956 Scroll there is a history of the Britton Dawson Family written by Alva Taylor.  Mr. Taylor wrote the following account concerning a big two and one-half story house built by Britton Dawson in 1859.  "In 1859 Britton Dawson hitched up several wagons with oxen and drove to Houston to purchase lumber to build a two and one-half story house.  The trip was a long, tedious journey.  There was no roads to travel, no bridges with which to cross rivers and streams.  To cross a river with a wagon load of lumber, they would unhitch oxen at the river bank, swim the oxen across and with a long wire cable tied to the wagon, the oxen would drag the wagon across.   After the lumber was brought in, a carpenter, Mr. Berger was employed to build the house.  Mr. Berger with the help of a few slaves, built the house in two years.   It was called "The Big House" and had ten rooms, four upstairs and four downstairs, and two in the attic which were never finished.  Each room was 18 feet square.  The house was so will put together that today the two stair steps do not squeak.  All windows and doors open and close with ease.  The ceiling over the stairs is covered with rawhide and painted.  The house has 108 window glasses, 12 glasses to the window.  On the north side of the house is the kitchen, spinning room and the servants quarters.  The fireplace was built of native rock taken from the battle creek nearby.  These rocks were ground smooth by the slaves to make them fit.   Each piece of timber in the house was hand cut and joined together by mortising.   On the front of the house was the long porch, one on each story.  The porch was 50 feet long and 28 feet wide."

Dawson is located some 10 miles from Navarro Mills.  If there was a saw mill of consequence we are sure Mr. Dawson would have purchased his limber there.  This beautiful old house had been restored and we expect to place a Historical Marker there in the future.

In 1871 the First Methodist Church of Corsicana was built, lumber was secured at Groesbeck, Texas, another reason why the Historical Society believe there was no saw mill at Navarro Mills

The Navarro Mills flour mill is described in book 46, page 341.  The power to operate the mill came from the Treadwell Branch.   Some pioneers called this branch Rock Creek because there were a lot of rocks at the bottom.  The gin was also located near this creek or branch.  Treadwell Branch meanders in a U fashion until it reaches Spring Hill then it flows into Richland Creek.  Mr. A. Fox operated the gin.  A saloon was operated by Mr. Irvington.   There was a blacksmith shop and a general store on this site.  While the settlers were waiting to get their flour (sometimes it took a week) horse racing became a popular sport.

According to Mrs. Carl Sheppard's recollection of her grandfather, F. M. Johnson "Biscuit or yeast bread was made in the following manner Irish potatoes flour and water was allowed to sour, this dough would be used for what we know today as sour dough biscuits."  Mrs. Sheppard said her father would buy flour in barrels enough to last a year.  One can visualize the importance of this flour mill to the citizens of Navarro County.  Mrs. Carl Sheppard's fathers name was M. C. Shuttlesworth.  She lived at Brushie Prairie near Navarro Mills all her live until she moved to Corsicana in 1962.

Mrs. Sheppard recalls her father taking wagons filled with  wheat to Hillsboro in 1919.  Several elderly people (who have lived around Navarro Mills) recall cornbread being a daily part of the the meals and biscuits or yeast bread would be served on Sundays.  Mrs. Sheppard recalls her mother baking a cake on Sunday and if there was enough flour left over she would bake tea cakes.  We can only assume the flour mill closed because of the obvious reasons, it became a poor business risk also there were more sophisticated methods of obtaining flour.

In 1867 property of R. A. Younger, later known as the Navarro Mill, was sold to John Summers and Sons.  Mr. Summers owned the mill until 1876 when it was sold to T. J. Summers.  The owners of the Navarro Mill subsequent to the founder included; Ann Grant, Maggie F. Doolen, J. M. Doolen, Mattie E. Hammonds, J. T. Hammonds, W. C. French, and F. A. Grant.  The Navarro Mill ceased to operate around 1881.

The roads to Navarro Mills were maintained by the men in the community.  One road of importance was known at the Tandy Key Road.   One of the early settlers Reese (Boss) Clark worked on this road.  Each man in the community always worked a certain period each year on the road.  The Tandy Key Road is farm to market road number 639.

Navarro Mills was settled around 1860.  The first settler was W. C. French born 8-24-1821, settled at Navarro Mills around 1859 or 1860.  He was a mill operator and a farmer.  The people of Navarro Mills honored this man because he was a church leader and interested in all worthwhile endeavors for the community.  During the Civil War he ranked as 3rd Sgt. under Burford C. O.  He enlisted April 2, 1862 at Dresden.  He died 9-2-1897 and is buried in the Navarro Mills Cemetery.

R. J. Wright born 7-31-1837; died 2-7-1926 was another early settler.  On Jan. 19, 1860 R. J. Wright (known as uncle Bob) bought 600 acres on land from R. H. Matthews.  He built a home  on these acres and became a leading citizen of Navarro Mills.  When the Civil War broke out our Mr. Wright enlisted in the Confederate Army at Dresden on April 2, 1862.  He enlisted in Captain Samuel Wright's Company 18th Regiment of Texas Cavalry, under Col. Burford.  His rank was 3rd Lt. He furnished his own horse and equipment.  Mr. Wright was a very religious man and noted for his fair dealings with his fellow man.  In 1895 he was a member of the school board for the Alliance Hall School located at Navarro Mills.  R. J. Wright is buried in the Dawson Cemetery.

Captain Jefferson Davis Evans came to Navarro Mills as a young man.  He was known as Captain Evans because of his rank in the Confederacy.  Captain Evans was in Co. B 1st Regiment.  Texas Artillery.   The land he bought in those early days is still in the possession of his grandchildren.  He was born in 1830 and died in 1916.  Capt. Evans is buried at Younger Cemetery near Purdon.

James Cochran Key came to make his home at Navarro Mills in 1884.  From 1872 to 1874 Mr. Key served as County Judge.  He was born 9-26-1817 and died 3-13-1910.  He was in the Confederate Army, he mustered in as a private in Co. B under Col. J. F. Davis 3rd Brigade.  Mr. Key lived with his daughter Mrs. E. O. Call of Navarro Mills from 1884 until his death in 1910.

Other early settlers were: George W. Vest, who served in the Civil War and died in 1927.  Henry Cambron, Wade Reeves, Judge E. O. Call, Will French, J. A. Putman, Benjamin Goodman, W. S. McCulloch, John T. McCulloch, W. R. Woodall, W. A. Crecelius (Luther, Henry, Orlie, 2 daughters Myrtle and Mary)  J. R. Breedlove, Tom Prater, S. N. Wright, Bob Cooper, W. D. Clark, Reese (Boss) Clark, Ed Berry, Rev. Coleman, R. L. French, Farris Prater, Mathew A. Fox, James M. Scales, Thomas J. Summers, S. C. French, Broadie T. Howard, A. D. Farmer, W. J. Barnes, Zale French, Jeff Warren, Y. M. Lewis, Henry Farmer & Other made a lasting imprint on the pages of history.

Navarro Mills was never incorporated.  To the south of Navarro Mills at Richland Creek, the only covered bridge of this Country, a toll bridge was built.  A story was told that Col. C. M. Winkler made this comment about the toll bridge; "They charged me 25 cents to cross over the bridge but I had to pay 50 cents to get back.  They knew I had to get back home."

On July 15, 1874 a post office known as Navarro Mills was established.  The postmasters were James M. Scales, July 15, 1874; Thomas J. Summers, July 14, 1879, and S. C. French, August 14, 1881.  The post office was discounted on September 29, 1882 and the mail sent to Spring Hill.

In 1891 there was a post office at Navarro Mills known as the Navarro Mills Post office.  Established on March 14, 1891 the Navarro Mills Post office operated until November 16, 1891.  The mail was sent to the Spring Hill, post office on this date.  There was only one postmaster Mathew A. Fox his appointment date was March 14, 1891.

May 12, 1900 there was a post office at Navarro Mills called Bright.  The Bright post office operated until September 14, 1904.   At this time the mail was sent to Purdon, Texas.  The only post master was Broadie T. Howard who's appointment date was May 12, 1900.

Mr. W. W. French, (son of W. C. French), had a telephone exchange service and operated for a period at Navarro Mills.  He later sold this exchange to Mr. Warden of Purdon and this became the first telephone exchange to ever exist in Purdon.

In 1892 there was a school called Alliance.   In 1895 Alliance was changed to Alliance Hall.  In 1901 there was a school known as Navarro Mills.  In 1917 Alliance Hall consolidated with Navarro Mills and became Alliance Hall school district number 75 this was located on the H. M. Estes survey and Thomas Wright survey and part of the James Meredith and part of the J. M. Smith survey.  Alliance Hall consolidated with Blooming Grove in 1938.

The Navarro Mills Baptist Church was organized in 1901.  Today the Baptists worship in a beautiful church built in 1962.  There is an interesting tabernacle built in 1918 still being used.  We think this is one of the few tabernacles still being used in Texas.

Navarro Mills is a religious community.  The Navarro Mills Baptist Church is the center of all religious activities for the community.   The records of the church include such names as the Evangelist Lester Roloff.   Mr. Roloff held his first revival June 22, 1935.  It is recorded Lester Roloff could set the church on fire for the Lord.  During this revival Mr. Roloff converted 33 people in the church.

Navarro Mills Baptist Church had many problems until Reverend Roloff held this revival in 1935.  Old timers said many people were excluded from the church because of many petty reasons.  Church attendants was very low and offerings were low also.  The church was divided and spiritually dead prior to Mr. Roloff's revival.  Lester Roloff has made headlines in the past several years being ready to fight or die for separation of church and state, presently he has a Home in Corpus Christi for neglected and troubled girls.

There was a Mt. Zion Methodist Church around 1913.   The Mt. Zion Methodist Church consolidated with the Brushie Prairie Methodist Church in 1952.  The Brushie Prairie Methodist Church was organized in 1874 and was disbanded in 1963.  Most of the members of these Methodist Churches went to Dawson.

We found no record of a Masonic Lodge at Navarro Mills.  The Ladies Aide, a religious society for bible study, was organized in 1914.   There was a Thimble Club organized by Mrs. West French whose specific purpose was to make garments, and quilts etc., for the Red Cross to aide men who were fighting in World War I.  Ladies who didn't sew (if there were any) would knit, cut and roll gauze.  The chairman for the Red Cross lived in Dawson.

The population has grown to such an extent it would be impossible to arrive at an accurate figure in 1976.  We have four subdivisions and new people move in every week.  The Navarro Mills Corp of Engineer manager predicts the population of Navarro Mills to be over 500.  We have many people who work in Dallas but live at Navarro Mills.

There is cotton grown at Navarro Mills, however the land is used mostly for grazing.

The Navarro Mills Cemetery is used primarily by the descendants of W. C. French, however there are many graves of other people who lived in the community.  It is still open for burial.  There is no annual homecoming.

The community of Navarro Mills existed on some twenty acres which included the Navarro Mills Cemetery, the Navarro Mills Baptist Church and tabernacle, the post office and gin, the flour mill, saloon, blacksmith shop, and the general store.  Today only the Baptist Church, tabernacle and cemetery remains.

Lake Navarro Mills is located in this vicinity.   This beautiful lake is a ten million dollar U.S. Government Project.  The great purpose for the lake was flood control and a water supply for Navarro County.   Corsicana has a big filtration and treatment plant at the lake and many communities of the county are securing water from Corsicana for their distribution systems.   There are four beautifully maintained parks for recreation; Oak Park, Wolf Creek Park, Liberty Hill Park, and Pelham Community Park.  Lake Navarro Mills is visited by thousands of people each year.

In February of 1960 there was a momentous occasion when the first shovel of dirt begin the Lake Navarro Mills project.  Congressman Olin Teague, Ben Carpenter, President of the Trinity River Assoc., Mayor of Corsicana Robert S. Reading, Col. Walter Wells District Engineer of Corp of Engineers joined W. W. French 86 years old to turn the dirt for Lake Navarro Mills.  There were 500 people present of this cold day in February.

In the spring of 1963 the dream of 1960 became a reality.  Again dignitaries from all over Texas returned to Lake Navarro Mills for a celebration.  Many of the same people were n hand for the completion of a project that was visualized in 1940 by government people as well as land owners in the vicinity.   3,000 people came to the dedication of Lake Navarro Mills.

The community of Navarro Mills is a community that is steep in tradition that believe and stand for the things that are right and good for Navarro County, Texas and America.  We wish to preserve the heritage that was an intrusted legacy from the pioneers who came to settle this county.