In the 1780s, the Waters family acquired acreage known as the William and Mary tract, described in tax records as “wooded saplin land, 30 miles from Georgetown.” Around 1810 Zachariah Waters built a saw and grist mill on part of the tract to serve the needs of his family and community. The mill was unusual because, along with processing grain and lumber, the miller pressed flax seed to make linseed oil. The mill ceased operating around 1895, and the remains of the mill, miller’s house, and mill race are located along little Seneca Creek near the Bike Path Bridge.