Built by Sherman Case as a flour mill. Ownership transferred to Burditt family. Eventually destroyed by flash flood. Full story here. The Case homestead still remains in NE Austin, beautifully restored by the Cook family who purchased the property after 1949.When clock peddler Sherman Case first proposed building a mill on his homestead, the local Texas Monument newspaper heralded the news as an exciting sign of progress.

According to an editorial, "Ere long many believe it is probable Austin will be one of the most flourishing cities in the area, as it is in location decidedly one of the most beautiful and interesting. New farms are continually being opened. Much wheat will be sown the ensuing season. Mr. Case is building a flour mill and expresses himself confident, that out of Texas wheat, he will be able to make good and white flour. Mr. Case's mill will be ready for use in a few weeks, and he has informed us that some two thousand bushels of Travis [County] wheat are ready to test the efficiency of his undertaking."

Mr. Case turned out to be a tight-fisted and litigious man (dismissed as a "carpet bagger from up North" by native Texans). He cut timber on his neighbors' land and even forced the mason who built the mill to sue him for payment. His assets, including the mill and a livery stable in downtown Austin, changed hands several times while he waged war in court. One of his many battles came up before the State Supreme Court. William Burdett, Mr. Case's partner in the mill business, was steadier. He kept the mill functioning, although on paper it changed hands eight times in two years. His son Giles took over the mill operation in 1866.

Giles Burdett sometimes appeared in the local newspaper because of his political activities. Mr. Burdett sold the mill to a man named Christian. He operated the mill from 1903 to 1905. Nothing more is known about Mr. Christian. Today, no trace of the mill remains. Some local elders suppose that Little Walnut Creek washed it away during one of the area's unpredictable floods. Thanks to Central Texas' dramatic high-intensity rainstorms, the local creeks are known worldwide for their "flash" nature.

In 1858, Charles Johnson built his home at Deep Eddy, where the American Legion home is a century later. Johnson had a floating grist mill at the foot of Shoal Creek on the Colorado River when

he came to Austin in 1854. When this washed away in 1857, he sought a higher site and bought 40 acres east of Deep Eddy. There, near the William McGill ford on the river, he built a log cabin for his family, and in 1858 he built the two-story stone house, with the customary carriage shed, cistern attached,

smokehouse, and butter tank for cooling the butter. The cedar posts that still support the ceiling a century later were hand hewed and squared. Johnson had his own lime kiln and rock quarry, which furnished material for his house and for the later cornerstone of the Driskill Hotel. They were near the Brackenidge tract, now the property of the University, and Johnson later helped to build the home of Colonel E. M. House, who often brought his wife out to Johnson’s place near Deep Eddy and rented a boat for a ride up the river.  From the History of Travis County

Visual Example of a Floating Mill Configuration, location unknown