This South Carolina Historic Site was named for a cotton mill built by William T. Ellerbe, John McQueen and John N. Williams about 1836. Power for the mill's operation came from nearby Crooked Creek. Ellerbe and Williams sold their stock in the mill to Meekin Townsend in 1844. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1851, but Burnt Factory Pond remains today.

The raceway to generate power for grinding is still intact, and part of the metal workings are still in place.