The first written sign of a mill was found in documents from 1412. It mentions a « field of the new mill on the Old Zwalm » The mill that we know goes back for certain to the 16th century. The oldest data are tax registers from the Duke of Alva from 1571. In those files mention is made of Daneel de Keyzere, the first bailiff of Flanders who took the mill in lease from Jan Vanden Driessche for 108 pound parisis (Pounds of Paris) and that paper was made in the mill.

According a deed from 1589 the mill had become the property of Jan de Flandres. In the 16th century the mill was obviously a papermill. It has been said the Ijzerkotmolen was the first papermill of Flanders, but it could not yet be proven. There’s a papermill in Roubaix (which was part of Flanders at that time) which could be older.

In this type of papermill wood and rags where mixed with water to produce fine paper for official documents.

When the papermill was transformed into a grain grinding mill is unsure. There are no documents for the period between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 19th century.

The mill was property of the Van der Beken family who also owned the nearby oilseed pressing mill and the farm across the street.

That oilmill must have been in the building on the other side of the brook. The two mills were situated opposite each other on the brook, the two water wheels side by side The oilseed pressing mill was transformed into a brewery and the end of last century.

The grain grinding mill stopped its activities in 1954. It had been sold in 1948 to the mayor of the village who emigrated to Canada soon after. In 1960 the mill was the property of mr. Marcel De Boe. He sold it to Emiel Mareels and Agnes Demaere. Mrs Demaere still lives in the mill. The brewery is now the café where you can eat the best pancakes in Flanders.

Due to the inactivity of the mill, it deteriorated. The interior was quite well preserved, with only minor damage by woodworm. The water wheel rusted away for more than 20 years. It was renovated in 1981, and the mill even worked for some time. But as this threatened to damage the mill stones it was decided to do a thorough restoration of the entire mill.