Montgomery Mills - Bridgewater Mill

Montgomery Mills, aka Bridgewater Mill
Little West Fork Creek, Montgomery Co.
by Jim Long
 
8 Sep 1842:
Long & Wynne advertise their fresh family flour, manufactured at the Montgomery Mills
[Clarksville Chronicle, 8 Dec 1842]
 
20 May 1844:
Thomas A. Jones of Christian Co., KY purchased the Montgomery Mills and 300 acres of land from Albert L. Jones of Montgomery Co., plus an adjoining 22.5-acre tract; Albert L. Jones was indebted to Nathaniel H. Allen, executor of William Wright, in the amount of $10050.00 for the purchase of the mills and land, and to Mrs. Agnes Wright for the 22.5-acre tract
[Deed Book T, pp. 473-474]
 
28 May 1844:
Thomas A. Jones announced that he had become the proprietor of Montgomery Mills, and that improvements had been made
[Clarksville Chronicle, 30 Jul 1844]
 
11 May 1852:
Thomas Anthony Jones of Montgomery Co. executed a deed of trust to Joseph Jones and Dr. David Brodie 300 acres on which the Montgomery Mills are situated on the Little West Fork of Red River, formerly purchased by Albert L. Jones from N. H. Allen, plus a 22.5-acre tract purchased from Mrs. Agnes Wright
[Deed Book 1, pp. 404-405]
 
11 January 1866:
John G. Johnson purchased the Montgomery (flouring) Mills from Hambaugh, Pettus & Co. for $16,000.00, on 403 acres on Little West Fork Creek..  He paid $4,000 cash up front and executed 3 notes for $4,000 each.  The following advertisement from the Clarksville Chronicle of 26 January 1866 advertises the sale, as well as the sale of Gallego Mills (later called Davie’s Mill, then Ringgold Mill):

“Gallego and Montgomery Mills!
Having sold Gallego Mills to Mr. K. B. Davie Esq., and Montgomery Mills to John G. Johnson, Esq., we take much pleasure in recommending these gentlemen to our numerous friends and customers, as worthy of their confidence and patronage, and we solicit for them a continuance of that patronage, which has been so liberally and so long extended to us, and for which our grateful thanks are hereby acknowledged…”
 
John G. Johnson received notoriety for the flour he produced.  In the 10 July 1869 issue of the Clarksville Chronicle we find:

“NEW FLOUR – J. G. Johnson, the gentlemanly and energetic proprietor of the Montgomery Mills, has placed some very superior flour made from choice new wheat, upon our market, which is the first of the season.  Montgomery ranks alongside of the first mills in the country, and consumers of its make of flour speak invariably in its praise.  Mr. Johnson presented the Chronicle corps with a liberal sample of this flour, for which he will please accept our thanks.  May he never lack for well shortened biscuit, nor any of the necessaries of life.  Call at Crusman and Chesnuts’ and sample his new crop.”
 
And in the 6 July 1872 issue:

“EXTRA FLOUR – We acknowledged the receipt of some fine flour from Mr. J. G. Johnson, of Montgomery Mills, last week.  Since then, our better half has tried it in various ways and it makes the best of bread.  It rises better than any new flour we ever used.  Those wishing to procure this make of flour can do so by applying to J. J. Crusman.”
  
John G. Johnson’s career as a miller ended in 1874, when he defaulted on his mortgage payments to Hambaugh, Pettus & Co. and was sued by them in Montgomery Chancery Court.  To settle the debt still owed to Hambaugh, Pettus and Co., the mill was sold in January 1875 to P. C. Hambaugh, a partner in Hambaugh, Pettus & Co., for $10,000.
 
27 July 1877:  Virginia Bell (Burgess) Hambaugh, wife of P. C. Hambaugh, died  [Clarksville Weekly Chronicle, 4 Aug 1877]
 
The 1877 map of Montgomery County, District 3, shows the location of Montgomery Mills, and even refers to it as Johnson’s Mills even though it had gone out of the Johnson family a couple of years earlier.

14 Feb 1878:  “Mr. W. H. Burgess, for several years a resident tobacco dealer in this city, is to leave with his family on the steamer C. W. Anderson tonight, to take up his residence again in Clarksville, Tenn.”
[Paducah News, as quoted in the Tobacco Leaf, 14 Feb 1878]
 
3 Feb 1880:  P. C. Hambaugh married Mrs. Cephie Burgess at the residence of William Burgess
[Semi-Weekly Tobacco Leaf, 6 Feb 1880]
 
5 June 1880:  Montgomery County census, District 3, Will H. Burgess, 40, miller (head of household); Thomas Dawson, 47 (boards, miller, born in England)
 
18 November 1882:  W. H. Burgess is referred to as a “thriving miller”
[Clarksville Weekly Chronicle, 18 Nov 1882]
 
17 May 1884:  Capt. Burgess’ farm is about 5 miles west of New Providence, and is ‘the proprietor of a large flouring and custom mill’
 
4 Jun 1887:  “Mr. W. H. Burgess, the popular mill man of West Fork”
[Clarksville Weekly Chronicle, 4 Jun 1887]
 
29 Apr 1890:  “W. H. Burgess will put in a new dam at Montgomery Mills this summer.  The mills are going to try and be in good fix to handle what wheat is made.”  [Daily Tobacco-Leaf Chronicle, 29 Apr 1890]
 
15 May 1891:  “The Montgomery Mills, situated on West Fork, nine miles from the city, will be sold at auction tomorrow at 12 o’clock.  This is good mill property and should bring its worth.  There will be quite a crowd in attendance from the city.”  [Semi-Weekly Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle, 15 May 1891]
 
16 May 1891:  “The Montgomery Mills were bid in yesterday by H. C. Merritt at $6,000.  It is understood that it is no sale.”
[Daily Tobacco-Leaf Chronicle, 16 May 1891]
 
3 Nov 1891:  Miss Jennie Senseney accidentally shot the wife of her brother, J. B. Senseney, who lives at Montgomery Mills
[Semi-Weekly Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle, 3 Nov 1891]
 
2 Dec 1892:  Montgomery County Trustee R. H. Poindexter advertised the sale of the Montgomery Mills property on West Fork, of about 400 acres and including a well-equipped flour and custom mill
[Semi-Weekly Tobacco-Leaf Chronicle, 2 Dec 1892]
 
In 1893, Thomas E. and Richard H. Bridgewater, nephews of former owner John G. Johnson, bought Montgomery Mills back into the family, paying $4000 for the mill and 102 acres of land around it.
[Deed Book 30, page 401]
 
Thomas and Richard Bridgewater continued to operate the Bridgewater Mill on Little West Fork until Richard’s death in 1906, at age 57.  Richard’s widow and children sold their half of the mill to Thomas.  In 1918, Thomas and Cornelia Bridgewater sold the mill and 101 acres to W. B. Winn.  In 1927, the site was still called the Bridgewater Mill.
 
The road that went past the mill was called Bridgewater Mill Road as late as 1942, when the land was taken for Camp Campbell.  The 403-acre farm surrounding the mill included land that would later become part of Clarksville Base.

Foundation stones of the Bridgewater Mill can still be located on Little West Fork Creek, along the 2nd fairway of Cole Park Golf Course at Fort Campbell.