A mill pond approximately 14 feet deep once held a huge volume of water here, and the water was channeled to the left to power the sawmill. The earthen dam was constructed by hand using wagons, oxen, and mules, and it was likely slave laborers who excavated the enormous amount of earth needed to build it. Borrow pits at both ends of the dam remain as evidence of this grueling work in the harsh Florida heat and bug-filled swamps.