Established in 1913, Electric Mills was built by the Sumter Lumber Company, which relocated to Kemper County from Alabama. Powered by electricity generated by the mill, the town was among the first in Mississippi with electric lights and was known as "the brightest town south of St. Louis." The town's amenities included a theater, clubhouse, commissary, hospital, school, and an ice plant. The mill ceased operation in 1941 and the town rapidly declined as workers sought employment elsewhere.