The first contrivance for grinding the grain of the early settlers was the mortar, next the hand mill, and then the horse mills. The first one of the latter kind was erected in 1817 on the north side of Phelp's Prairie, by Ragsdale Rollins. The next one was built in the Burns settlement, in 1819, by William Burns, who also erected the first cotton-gin in the county during the same year. The next cotton-gin was erected on the Dillard farm, in 1825, by Jonathon Herrin. "About that time the Burnses put up their mill, and Martin Duncan built one on the north edge of Phelp's Prairie. Burns had improved his mill so that by 1830 he could grind 25 bushels of corn a day and his boys would take the meal on horseback to Equlaity, 40 miles away, and swap it for salt. In 1823, John Roberts put up a horse mill on his farm; and the same year John Lamb built a mill on Herrin's Prairie, which was afterward removed by Jasper Davis to Phelp's Prairie. About the year 1825, George Davis put up a mill on the Erwin farm and in a few years Stephen Stilly built one at his redidence. Soon after this, McDonald built the first water mill on the Saline, in the Tanner settlement. The nest was built by George Davis. 7 years later John Davis built the 3rd, now known as the Sims mill. Still later, Stephen Blair put up a water mill on Big Muddy. In 1838, William Ryburn built a good horse mill on the Eight Milee and Yost built one in Marion. The first steam mill was built by Milton Mulkey, in Marion in 1845. The nexy by Erwin and Furlong, in 1856 at Crab Orchard. In 1862, Herrins, Polk and Harrison built the Herrin's Prairie mill. In 1870, Mann and Edward built a large woolen manufactory. Now the county is well supllied with both saw and flouring-mills."**
The title to all the lands in the county was originally vested in the United States. But the school lands, swamp lands and railroad lands were donated and conveyed by the general Government to the State for special purposes. The school lands to be sold, and the revenue arising from the sale thereof to constitute a permanent fund r principle to ne loaned, and te annual interest collected thereon to be appropriated for the use of the common schools. The swamp lands were also to be sold and the revenue arising therefrom was to be used to drain and reclaim te same, and for other certain purposes. The revenue arising from the sale of the railroas lands was to be appropriated to the building of a railroad. There being 12 congressional townships in Wmson Co, and the 16th section of each one being school lands, there were 7, 680 acres of such land sold in the county for the benefit of education, concerning which more will be said under the head of "schools." The follwoing is a list showing the number of acres of swamp land in each congressional twp of Wmson Co, to wit; T8-1 (760a), T8-2 (2480a), T8-3 (560a), T8-4 (240a); T9-1 (560a), T9-2 (2040a), T9-3 (1200a), T9-4 (320a); T10-1 (360a), T10-2 (240a), T10-3 (1480a), T10-4 (3200a). Making a total of 13, 440 acres, all of which has been sold and a small portion of the proceeds used to drain the land, the balance used by the county to defray the expense of constructing public buildings and other general expenses. It is not now possible to ascertain the amount of revenue, which the county received from the sale of these lands, on account of the manner in which swamp land records have been kept, or rahter--not kept.
The railroad lands were granted by the State of Illinois to the Illinois Central Railroad Company to assist in building that great central road, and by this means said county acquired title to 35, 788 acres in the west half of Wmson Co, distributed in the several congressional twps as follows: T8-1 (8338a), T8-2 (2129a), T9-1 (7501a), T9-2 (3431a), T10-1 (9643a) T10-2 (4746a). These lands were exempt from taxation so long as they remained in the hands of the railroad company. They have all been sold and conveyed to individual purchasers, except 4, 520 arces which the company owns at the present writing and which is exempt from taxation.
**from Erwin's history