William Cox Sr., a Revolutionary War veteran wounded at the Battle of King's Mountain on October 1, 1780, built Cox Mill, a grist mill, on this site about 1792. He was an Overmountain Man living in Watauga in 1775. As a delegate from Washington County to the constitutional convention at Joneborough in 1784, he voted for the formation of the State of Franklin. He was appointed Jefferson County Magistrate by Governor William Blount in 1792 and by Governor John Sevier in 1796. Cox Mill operated continuously for over 150 years and also served as a post office from 1848 to 1901.