Mansfield Mill

Julian Feild (1825-1897) and Ralph Mann (1825-1906) became acquainted in Harrison County, Texas, about 1850. About 1854 they built a mill near the Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River. The two business partners came south of Fort Worth in 1856 and at this site found the ruins of a mill that had ben constructed by Charles Turner.

With the help of local settlers and brickmaker S.W.A. Hook (1836-1917), Mann and Feild built a three-story steam-powered wheat and corn mill during the winter of 1859-60. The mill attracted business from San Antonio to the Oklahoma Territory. The community that developed around the mill was given the name "Mansfeild" (now Mansfield).

During the Civil War, The Confederate Government collected for its use a certain proportion of the mill's output. After the War, Government contracts were secured to supply flour for Federal forts. Julian Feild sold his interest in the mill in 1874. The mill continued in operation until the early part of the 20th century.

The site has been used since that time as a Memorial to World War I veterans and for municipal offices. It is a historic site as the beginning of the City of Mansfield. (1985)