Bread was so highly valued in ancient Rome that bakers were freemen while other craftsmen were slaves, and although much changed over time, bread remained a staple in agricultural societies like this one. Because of that, grist mills were among the first businesses in most new settlements, including Luling. When the railroad came to Luling, it brought an influx of settlers who depended on bread as a staple of their diet, and in 1874 John Meriwether and his partners built a grist mill on this site to meet that need. While grist mills in other parts of the country ground wheat into flour for bread, in Texas cornbread was king.