Our History

A club so incredibly rich with history.

Along the 9th hole of the White Course at Little Mill Country Club stands a portion of the original structure of what was once Branin's Mill, now Little Mill, part of the Taunton Forge furnace operations owned and operated by colonial Ironmaster Charles Read in 1776. The land was originally part of the Taunton Tract and is rich in state and national history. It is chronicled that Taunton Furnace on Read's Mill Creek, now Haines Creek, produced mostly pots, kettles, stoves etc against the mandate of the British Empire. In 1776, the forge was commissioned to produce shot and cannon for the Revolutionary War and later the Civil War with fuel and iron ore supplied by Branin's Mill and it's twin lakes.

The land and furnace operations, sister site to Batsto Village, changed hands many times throughout the next hundred years until Joseph Hinchman purchased the mill converting the millpond to a cranberry bog. The bog was unsuccessful, and the land lay untouched for another several years. It was from Joseph Hinchman's son Samuel that Mathew F. Van Istendal, Jr. purchased the property including what is now known as Vandal Lake and Lost Lake to build his dream golf course.

On Memorial Day, May 30th, 1968 his dream came true as Little Mill Country Club opened and the legacy began under the guidance of Mathew's son George. In 1974, George would expand the operation with nine additional holes making Little Mill an easy choice for the golf enthusiast. Through the years the course has remained at the top of the list as both an enjoyable and challenging test for all golfers.

Now in the third generation of Van Istendal heritage the legacy of Little Mill continues to grow.