In olden days, the miller would wear a leather glove on his right hand and keep his left bare so he could feel the rough texture of the millstone as he was adjusting it for grinding.

Consequently, through the years Little pieces of stone would become embedded in the calluses of the bare left hand, making little lumps.

These lumps were known as mettle.

Consequently, the best recommendation a miller could have to someone testing the quality of his work would be to show the roughness of his left palm, and the prospective employer could touch it and test his mettle.

Today we are at Ellerbe's Mill and Millvale Plantation in Sumter County, near Rembert, South Carolina, for "The Miller's Tale."

♪ [poignant piano music] ♪ ♪ ♪ The waters of Rafting Creek rise in the hill country of Sumter County, in an area known as the High Hills of Santee.

This creek and its tributaries must have been important to man since prehistoric times, because a number of stone knives and axes have been found along the banks.

In the 1800s, there were four mills along this creek.

Not only were they important to residents and landowners for economic reasons, but when flooding occurred, riders on horseback would be sent downstream to warn the mill owners, and then the mill could be used as an effective means of flood control.

♪ This mill, still in operation today, is the only one remaining.

The land on which it stands was owned by various settlers and finally came into the estate of William Sanders the Younger.

His father, also named William, had been granted land in this area in the 1760s and 1770s, and by the 1800s, the Sanders family had acquired a great deal of land in this area and were very prosperous planters.

William the Younger died in 1818.

It's said that he took his own life by cutting his throat when his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, eloped with an alcoholic doctor, and according to family stories today, his ghost can still be seen in the house in which he lived near Hagood.

♪ After William's death, his land was divided between his four sons, according to his will.

but he also made provisions for his daughter Ephatha.

"I wish her continued at Salem, "where she is now at school, "until she arrives at the age of 14 years, "then to be sent for the term of two winters to the best female academy in Charleston."

And in 1826, after she had completed her education, she was married to Dr. William Crawford Ellerbe of Cheraw.

He came from a prominent planter family in Chesterfield County who lived at Red Hill Plantation.

But in 1831, following a friendly political discussion, Dr. Ellerbe was given just a little shove, and he plummeted to his death from the upstairs porch of his home.

♪ The land, which includes present-day Millvale, was inherited by William the Younger's son Garner.

Now, after acquiring the property, Garner created this 90-acre millpond and built the water mill, which is in operation today.

Now, the large millpond feeds into this man-made-type canal, from which the water enters the flume and goes through the penstock... under the mill itself.

There, it reaches the impellers, or the "paddles" connected to the turbine.

And after things are set into operation, then the turbine activates the rest of the mill mechanism.

♪ The turbine activates a large metal shaft to which belts are attached, and these belts cause the mechanical action of the millstones, which are encased in here.

The farmer brings his clean corn, which is off the cob.

The miller receives his toll, which since Biblical days has been 1/7 of what the farmer brings.

Then into this hopper the corn is placed.

It falls through onto the millstones and then comes through here into the bin.

Constantly at the beginning of the turning, the feel, the texture, of the cornmeal is felt until it's exactly the way the miller desires it to be.

Here, the millstones are horizontal.

To make sure they are rough enough, with the bottom one stationary and the top one moving, it is quite an operation to lift off the top, move them mechanically, and adjust the quality of the stones.

Since Egyptian days, the grooves within the millstones have been carved in the same way so that the finest of the cornmeal will fall into the grooves and eventually into the bin.

[footfalls] This is a second type of mill, a gristmill.

The millstones in this one are vertical.

Here is the hopper, and through here, four types of texture can be achieved.

It's from a gristmill that we receive our grits, as well as cracked corn and mash.

This was very important to the economy of the area because farmers growing corn could have it transferred into different material and thereby sell it in various other outlets.

♪ According to family records, Garner was the third member of the family to die a tragic death.

In 1845, he was thrown from his buggy and killed.

His estate then passed to his son, William Marion Sanders, who continued in his father's footsteps in operating the mill and being a successful planter.

However, in 1855, while repairing the roof of the High Hills Baptist Church in Statesburg, William Marion slipped and fell to his death.

His estate was then sold for the benefit of his minor children.

At the time of his death, his estate was listed as possessing "a personal estate of about $30,000, 63 slaves, 12 mules, and 5 horses."

The estate had almost been disposed of by 1864, because at the end of that year, it was valued at $317.71.

The portion of the estate which is now Millvale Plantation was to remain in the family.

In 1863, it was purchased by William Crawford Sanders Ellerbe.

Like William Marion, he was a grandson of William the Younger.

His mother was Ephatha, the widow of Dr. William Crawford Ellerbe.

There is a family legend that at that time Isaac Lenoir, the administrator of the estate, "traded the interest of the Sanders children in the property "to Mr. Ellerbe for 12 gallons of whiskey, allegedly for his own consumption."

But William Ellerbe's impeccable character and his records at the time tend to refute this claim.

♪ William married his cousin, Mary Eunice Sanders, and they had eight children.

In 1866, to have a better education for his children, he bought a house and farm-- Magnolia Vale--near Camden, and moved his family there.

He continued to operate the farm and mill on Rafting Creek and built a general store on this site.

But in 1890, after the family was grown, he moved back here, and he began construction of this house, which he called Millvale.

(voice-over) According to family accounts, the house was designed by Napoleon G. Ellerbe, William's third son.

Uncle Nap, as the family called him, was a self-taught carpenter wh o never studied architecture.

He's given credit for the design, but it's believed all interior decoration was done by three of his sisters.

Uncle Nap was a very interesting character.

He married his second cousin, Emma Sanders, who died in childbirth.

He turned his infant son over to his wife's sister to raise and joined Colonel David Gaillard on an expedition to survey the Mexican border.

After serving in the United States Army, he came back here in 1910 and remained here until his death in 1935.

He had no known profession, although he dabbled at times in beekeeping and operating a general store.

While he was out West, Uncle Nap married twice.

He left the first one because she insisted on crawling over him every night to get to her side of the bed.

The second one... they were on a train.

She got off at a stop, he stayed on the train, the train went on without her and he never saw her again.

♪ In 1895, William Crawford Sanders Ellerbe spoke to the family members gathered around his bed and said, "My children, this is death," and he passed away.

His wife, Mary, survived him by only two months.

Some say she died of grief, and others say she died of too much cold turkey dressing.

In any event, the estate was left to his three unmarried daughters.

They stayed here, managing the farm and mill.

They also looked after their brother, Robert, who had suffered with meningitis in infancy.

And they also took care of Uncle Nap.

Their inheritance included this house, the mill and pond, the store, and their portion of the family estate.

Each of the Ellerbe ladies had duties in running the farm.

Florence was the business manager.

She kept the books, dealt with sharecroppers, and saw to the operation of the farm and mill, She was usually found sitting in the bay window in the dining room.

From there, she kept watch over daily operations of the plantation.

She was also in charge of seeing that the rose garden and grounds were properly maintained.

Florence also did all the sewing.

♪ Sarah Ellen was the housekeeper.

It was her job to plan meals, take care of the cook and the housemaids, and also to look after the maintenance and decoration of the interior of the home.

Ellen, as she was called, had a flare for the artistic.

She also had a very good soprano singing voice.

Many times she would make special dishes herself.

She's known for having created jams, jellies, cakes, pies, and occasionally wine.

♪ Allen's primary duty was to churn milk and make butter.

She also fed the chickens and collected eggs.

Then too, there was a brother, Gus.

Gus ran the store.

It's said he knew business but he was entirely too trusting, so people stole from him until he lost almost everything he had.

Gus finally married and moved to Laurens, where he became a salesman, and of course, there was Uncle Nap.

Uncle Nap didn't do much, but he read a lot.

He thoroughly enjoyed taking guests on the tour of this house and sometimes would astonish them by quoting from Caesar's "Gallic Wars"...in Latin.

♪ The Ellerbes' main interests were their home and their church.

They were instrumental in creating the first Episcopal church in this area.

Family prayers were held three times a day, not only for the family and household servants, but for the miller and anybody else within grabbing distance.

Sundays were strictly observed as a religious day, a day for going to church and reading religious literature.

All the food, which was consumed that day had to be prepared the day before and heated up.

Even though the sisters were deeply religious, they thoroughly enjoyed making and drinking wine, and they had eggnog for Christmas.

Oh, and the sisters traveled a lot.

They went to New Orleans, Washington, and Paris, and during the summer, they had a home in the mountains.

Through family accounts and stories, we can picture life as it must have been for the Ellerbes.

Not only was Millvale a prosperous working plantation, but it was also a sanctuary... a sanctuary for three unmarried sisters and Uncle Nap which provided security, safety, and shelter through the most troubled times.

So it's not surprising that it was agreed that the property should always remain in the family and should be a home for any unmarried member of the family, should they desire to live here.

So to that end, this house and its contents have been carefully preserved for nearly 100 years.

Today, the property is in trust and cannot be divided.

The first thing one appreciates as one enters Millvale today is the graciousness and spaciousness of the home.

All the rooms are extremely large, much larger than you would expect to find in any house built in 1890, much less today.

When the double doors are opened in each room, the entire downstairs can be thrown en suite, which is perfect for entertaining.

It's interesting that all the materials used in the construction of Millvale came from the plantation, with the exception of the glass.

The wood is all heart pine, although, in accord with the fashion of the times, it's been painted in places to resemble cherry, mahogany, or even marble.

♪ The formal drawing room is a perfect example of the salon of the 1840s.

The furniture was brought from New York, and all the furnishings, including the cornices of the windows and the mirror, were bought when Magnolia Vale was purchased by William Crawford Sanders Ellerbe in Camden in 1866.

Then when he built the house here in 1890, it was moved to this room.

The modern upholstery almost matches identically the original upholstery.

The piano is extremely interesting.

At one time, it was in "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"

It's a Chickering, 1826, and each note has two strings because the manufacturers were experimenting to see if they could develop a new sound for a piano.

The harpsichord, however, belonged to Ephatha Sanders Ellerbe, and the music book was copied in her own hand.

The guitar is also Ephatha's.

It's one of the first that was brought from Italy to the United States, about 1800.

Do notice the wallpaper border at the top of wall is original and was placed there when the house was built in 1890.

♪ This library has a wonderful feeling.

One senses that forever, it's been the heart of the home.

The first thing we notice as we come in is the portrait above the mantel...

This is William Crawford Sanders Ellerbe when he graduated from the University of South Carolina.

Beneath it is a beautiful clock in gold leaf.

There are two of them in existence.

Until the 1940s, the other one was used in the White House in Washington.

There's so many wonderful things in this room!

I wish we had time to discuss all of them.

Here is a beautiful handblown, hand-etched, crystal goblet, which is always used as the wedding cup in weddings of the Ellerbe family.

The bride and groom each sip from it.

On the wall behind me, framed, is a wonderful Masonic apron.

This was the apron which saved Ellerbe's Mill from being destroyed by the forces of Sherman during the War Between the States.

The miller remembered it when he saw the enemy coming, he dashed for it, found it, held it up, and the respect of the Masons was honored, and the mill is saved for us to enjoy today.

These people were great readers, and I'm sure Uncle Nap often sat here as he memorized Caesar's "Gallic Wars."

The magazine collection dates from the early 1800s.

If words and literature bring solace and pleasure to the human heart, the Ellerbe family has certainly found it here in this beautiful library.

When we enter the formal dining room, one of the first things that catches our eye is this beautiful Victorian sideboard, very ornate with its brown marble top.

We understand that this was the wedding gift to Uncle Nap from his mother.

This lovely dining room table was also a wedding gift to Uncle Nap from his mother.

In each corner, we have most interesting combination sideboard an d china cabinet arrangements, which were built by a local black cabinetmaker, Bob Richardson.

They were made here in this room, and they've been in their positions ever since the home was built.

Over the mantel, we have an oil portrait of the first William the 1st, the first William Sanders, to whom the land was granted in 1760.

Just a beautiful thing indeed!

When the family lived here, this was not used as a dining room.

This was the family room where they gathered, in what we would call today a den, because the house was difficult to heat in the winter months, so they would close almost all the rooms and enjoy this one.

Florence particularly used the bay window for her sewing and from there, she would watch the operation of the entire plantation.

There's a wonderful family story which occurred in this room.

When fashion dictated that the hem of ladies' skirts would be drastically raised and exhibit their lower legs, Sarah Ellen bought one of the new dresses and she proudly wore it here into this room.

Her brother took one look and said, "Why, I didn't know you were bowlegged."

She was furious and said, "Napoleon, you are no gentleman!"

She flounced out of the room back to her own wardrobe and never wore the dress again.

♪ This large, airy upper hall catches all the light and breeze when the bedroom doors are opened, as well as doors onto the upper gallery.

We can see this as a ladies' sitting room or a playroom for children when the weather is bad.

The large wardrobe was made by the same local artisan who made the large sideboards in the dining room, Bob Richardson.

[footfalls] Here in the north bedroom, with its beautiful four-poster bed, we find Uncle Nap designed the room to catch all breeze, and with her eye for decoration, Ellen found a pair of these clocks during her travels and brought them back to beautify the home.

♪ Here in the guest bedroom, we find another beautiful four-post bed.

This one appears to be queen-size, but it was called a two-wife bed.

Here we have a very unusual wardrobe.

This is called a summer wardrobe.

Rather than being solid wood in the front, it has cloth so air can circulate, and in that way, the clothing behind the doors are not quite so subject to mildew.

Oh, and this is the room in which both Uncle Nap and Robert died.

[footfalls] I would like to read a tribute to the Ellerbe family.

"Admiral Bull Halsey once stated that "There are no great men, "only great challenges "that ordinary men are forced to meet.

"Now, if that is indeed true, "then each of us possesses the ability within ourselves "to meet each new day in our own way "and to shape the world around us, "and if we accept that theory, "then history is not created "by earthshaking events or monumental decisions, "but by ordinary people like you and me.

"It's the interwoven threads of our personal lives "that secure a future and create a past.

"The daily actions and decisions, "however routine they may have been, "of the family that once shared life within these walls "have given us a treasure "which the passage of time cannot erase.

"William the Younger, Ephatha, Garner, Florence, "Sarah Ellen, Allen, even Uncle Nap... "they have all played a role, "for in leaving part of themselves, "they left a cultural heritage, which we can all share today."

♪ ♪ Program captioned by: Co mpuScripts Captioning, Inc. 80 3.988.8438 ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪