Sassafras Mill

This plaque stands in front of a boiler formerly used in the production of sassafras oil. The plaque reads:

SASSAFRAS MILL 1920-1974 This is the boiler portion of the sassafras mill that operated in Hickory Valley. It took native sassafras roots and processed them into an aromatic oil used in medicine, perfume, and flavoring. A man with a mule regularly dug a ton of roots a day and was paid $14.00. One owner promoted the mill by paying his workers with bills dipped in the oil. In its final years of operation, the Hickory Valley sassafras mill was the only one in the United States.  

Submitted by Sylvia M. Rowe