John Newlin began construction of the Saxapahaw Cotton Mill in 1844. The Newlin family owned the mill until its sale to Edwin Holt in 1873, and Holt's sons-in-law later ran it as White-Williamson and Company. The mill operated under that ownership until it was abandoned in 1924. In 1927 Charles Sellars purchased it and enlisted his nephew B. Everett Jordan to help manage operations. Jordan and his wife, Katherine, devoted themselves to the mill and village and were instrumental in building the Saxapahaw community. In 1978 the mill was sold to Dixie Yarns. In 1994, after 150 years of operation, the Saxapahaw Cotton Mill closed after a tornado damaged it. In 1995 the Jordan family bought the property back from Dixie Yarns and began revitalizing it. Saxapahaw Rivermill now operates as a restored cotton mill offering apartments, townhomes, and cottages.