In 1828 John M. Camron purchased the property where New Salem was later to be laid out. In that same year Camron and his uncle, James Rutledge, petitioned the state legislature for, and received, permission to dam the Sangamon River for the purpose of powering the mill. By the next year the mill was running. On September 29, 1832, Camron offered the mill for sale. Jacob Bale bought it and operated it with his son Hardin until 1844, when Jacob died. It was then bought by Jacob's brother Abraham and operated until 1853, when the mill was torn down and replaced with another. In 1940 the Civilian Conservation Corps reconstructed the Rutledge-Camron Saw and Grist Mill. By 1940 the Sangamon River had changed course, so it was necessary to power the mill from a mill pond.