J.B. Mills Gift Shop

This gallery honors one of Fort Mill’s most charismatic citizens John Barron Mills, Jr., who was born in 1906 and known as J.B. This gallery includes exhibits of Main Street, Fort Mill Schools, and businesses. This section also includes the museum gift shop which offers unique items with ties to Fort Mill and South Carolina including books, custom home décor, Christmas ornaments, and reproductions of historical places in Fort Mill.

John Barron Mills Jr. was a native of Fort Mill, a business owner, avid golfer, and dedicated historian about town. After attending Presbyterian College, he returned to his hometown and opened Mills Self-Service Store on Main Street in 1928. The store carried grocery items at the time, but he later enlarged the scope of the business to include hardware and changed the name to Mills Hardware, where he operated until a 1947 fire destroyed the store. He reopened the store on White Street. He was known to tell customers that if he didn’t have in in his store, they didn’t need it.

Mills raised a family on nearby Confederate Street, served on the town council and the school board, and became one of Fort Mill’s foremost historians. He was widely regarded as the area’s amateur meteorologist for his ability to predict the number of yearly snowfalls.

His collection of photographs and anecdotes from the early 20th century has brought town history to life for thousands. He died in 1993 and was inducted into the Fort Mill Hall of Fame in 2012.

The J.B. Mills Gift Shop and Gallery were named in his honor by his daughter, Betty Mills Thomas.