Beck's Mill
Encyclopedia
Beck's Mill is a historic gristmill
in Washington County
, Indiana
in the United States. It is seven miles (11 km) southwest of Salem
. It was built in 1864, one year after John Hunt Morgan
demanded for ransom for every Washington County mill to be spared from burning. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990. It was on the list of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
's 10 Most Endangered historic places in 2005 and 2006, but was not in 2007.
s and maple
s. It is at one of the highest elevations in Indiana, at 946 feet (288.3 m) above sea level.
The site of the mill was originally an Indian burial ground, with the Shawnee
and Delaware
tribes living nearby. The Indians were presumably displeased when the first white man on the land, George Beck arrived from North Carolina
with his sons to the Indiana Territory in 1807, after brief stops in Kentucky
. Once establishing a place to live near the future site of his mill and building a primitive shelter, he retrieved the rest of his family, who were living near Louisville, Kentucky
, a few months later.
While exploring his property, Beck saw a waterfall coming out of a cave while hunting on the property. He quickly decided it would be a perfect place for a mill. This waterfall, which is actually a spring, is the second largest spring in Indiana. The cave is a mile-long, and provides water throughout the year. The first mill was built in 1808, and was 11 ft x 11 ft stone and log structure. Beck built a small dam uphill west of the mill, which through gravity would create a low head of pressure for water to go through wooden troughs to turn the mill wheel, which was overshot. Some of the stones used for mill were buhr, and were brought to the site from Louisville. A second mill, built in 1825, was a frame building considerably larger than the first mill, which it replaced. A carding
machine was added in 1828.
The current mill was the third one on the property, and was the first to have two stories and furniture manufacturing. The mill in its most active years (1864-1890) ran 24 hours a day, using a turbine/waterwheel combination to turn the grindstones. Families would sometimes wait three days for their corn to be milled at Beck's, forcing a settlement by the mill. Eventually, the modern roller mills far surpassed the capability of gristmills, and urbanization made rural mills difficult to transport to in comparison, causing Beck's Mill to stop operating in 1914. In 1963 a tornado
touched down on the property, killing two people.
Of the 65 mills that operated in Washington County, it is the only one still standing, and less than 20 still stand in Indiana
. However, it was placed on Indiana's 10 Most Endangered List due to water damage and trespassers, some of whom vandalized the mill. Descendants of the original owners owned the mill and the surrounding area until November 2005, when the sixth generation became willing to sell.
Friends of Beck's Mill, a nonprofit organization, was given the 14 acres (56,656 m²) and building by Donald & Joyce Andersen (Joyce being a direct descendant of the George Beck family). This gift was the results of the efforts and negotiation of Jack Mahuron of Salem, with the hope that the mill could be saved, and maybe even become operational as the centerpiece of a local park. Mahuron had worked on getting the restoration started for several years. In June 2006, the president of the Friends, Larry Nelson, won a $1,000 door prize from the Washington County Community Foundation, an annual giveaway for use of community projects, and chose to use the $1,000 to start an Acorn Fund for the mill. The fund created a permanent endowment to market and operate the mill.
John Hawkins, an architect from Jeffersonville, Indiana
, calculated that $600,000 would be required to restore the mill, with additional funds needed to reopen it. Donald and Joyce Andersen has since offered the use of approximately over 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) for use as trails and recreation. 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) across the road from the mill are used for parking at no cost to the Friends of Beck's Mill. William and Gayle Cook, billionaire
philanthropists, made a large donation in 2007 to begin the restoration process. Jack Mahuron had served on the Board of Advisers of IU Southeast with Bill Cook and knew that he and Gayle were interested in Beck's Mill. They had visited it several times over the years. Jack contacted him at Bloomington asking him to assist with the restoration. He graciously declined because he was busy with the restoration of French Lick and West Baden Hotels. A few months later, however, on March 1, 2007, he sent his Architect George Ridgway and his contractor Joe Pritchett of Pritchett Brothers, to a meeting of the Friends, it was announced that billionaire Bill and Gayle Cook would fund the restoration if the Friends would accept the offer.
Restoration of the mill began in earnest in May 2007 with Tracy Wells as foreman of the project for Pritchett Brothers. The first task was to remove the old equipment, tools, and the remaining features of the general store and fabric-making, including two carding
machines. The old turbine
s were cleaned, and the stone foundation was repaired by lifting the mill from its moorings. In September 2007 the outside work was stopped for the year. The mill workings, currently held in storage at Salem, were re-installed in the spring 2008. A grand opening of the mill is planned for the fall of 2008, in time for the 200th anniversary of the first Beck's Mill.
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce gave their 2007 Citizen of the Year award to the Friends, due to the restoration of the mill. There is some fear that restoration of the mill by using cave water may affect the ecology of the cave, in particular its blind fish
. Beck's Mill is set to be reopened for the public on September 20, 2008, to coincide with the Old Settler's Days festival in Salem.
Upon completion of the restoration, Jack Mahuron, the primary supporter of the restoration and a member of the Hoosier Hikers Council asked the group to come in and build walking trails. Suzanne Mittenthal, executive Director of the group brought in several of the members for the work. Over a two year period the hikers built about three mile of trails for the public to use and enjoy the natural beauty of the park.
The restoration of a 200 year old log cabin has also been in progress on the hill in back of the Mill.
After the Pigeon Roost Massacre
in 1812, the Becks built two small forts on the property to protect against Indians, and perhaps also due to Indians stealing three barrels of whiskey from George Beck. The new protection began to draw new residents. In 1814 the settlement of Beck's Mill was in consideration to be the county seat of Washington County, only for Salem to eventually get the coveted position. Today the settlement, a few yards uphill from the mill, is the crossroad of Beck's Mill Road and Old Vincennes trail
, with a former fire station and country store being its main signs of civilization. The Stage Coach stop from New Albany, Indiana was also located at the SW corner and is still standing. The Beck's Hill store has been reopened and is owned and operated by Bill and Annie Smith. It is operated as an old general store and museum. Food is also served, the menu consists of soups, sandwiches and soft ice cream.An extremely old dwelling on the SE adjoining the store and also belonging to Smith's is being restored.
It's a concrete
arch bridge designed by Daniel Luten, a noted engineer from Indiana known for his work on elastic theory, for arch bridges.
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in Washington County
Washington County, Indiana
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 28,262. The county seat is Salem.Washington County is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Early settlers:...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in the United States. It is seven miles (11 km) southwest of Salem
Salem, Indiana
Salem is a city in Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana, United States. Salem serves as the county seat, and its downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places...
. It was built in 1864, one year after John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
demanded for ransom for every Washington County mill to be spared from burning. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990. It was on the list of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana
Indiana Landmarks is America's largest private statewide historic preservation organization. Founded as the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana by Indianapolis pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly in 1960, the organization is a private non-governmental organization with nearly 11,000 members...
's 10 Most Endangered historic places in 2005 and 2006, but was not in 2007.
Geography
The mill is situated in a rocky ravine surrounded by sycamoreAmerican sycamore
Platanus occidentalis, also known as American Sycamore, American plane, Occidental plane, and Buttonwood, is one of the species of Platanus native to North America...
s and maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s. It is at one of the highest elevations in Indiana, at 946 feet (288.3 m) above sea level.
History
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
tribes living nearby. The Indians were presumably displeased when the first white man on the land, George Beck arrived from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
with his sons to the Indiana Territory in 1807, after brief stops in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Once establishing a place to live near the future site of his mill and building a primitive shelter, he retrieved the rest of his family, who were living near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, a few months later.
While exploring his property, Beck saw a waterfall coming out of a cave while hunting on the property. He quickly decided it would be a perfect place for a mill. This waterfall, which is actually a spring, is the second largest spring in Indiana. The cave is a mile-long, and provides water throughout the year. The first mill was built in 1808, and was 11 ft x 11 ft stone and log structure. Beck built a small dam uphill west of the mill, which through gravity would create a low head of pressure for water to go through wooden troughs to turn the mill wheel, which was overshot. Some of the stones used for mill were buhr, and were brought to the site from Louisville. A second mill, built in 1825, was a frame building considerably larger than the first mill, which it replaced. A carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
machine was added in 1828.
The current mill was the third one on the property, and was the first to have two stories and furniture manufacturing. The mill in its most active years (1864-1890) ran 24 hours a day, using a turbine/waterwheel combination to turn the grindstones. Families would sometimes wait three days for their corn to be milled at Beck's, forcing a settlement by the mill. Eventually, the modern roller mills far surpassed the capability of gristmills, and urbanization made rural mills difficult to transport to in comparison, causing Beck's Mill to stop operating in 1914. In 1963 a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
touched down on the property, killing two people.
Of the 65 mills that operated in Washington County, it is the only one still standing, and less than 20 still stand in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. However, it was placed on Indiana's 10 Most Endangered List due to water damage and trespassers, some of whom vandalized the mill. Descendants of the original owners owned the mill and the surrounding area until November 2005, when the sixth generation became willing to sell.
Restoration
John Hawkins, an architect from Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, calculated that $600,000 would be required to restore the mill, with additional funds needed to reopen it. Donald and Joyce Andersen has since offered the use of approximately over 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) for use as trails and recreation. 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) across the road from the mill are used for parking at no cost to the Friends of Beck's Mill. William and Gayle Cook, billionaire
Billionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
philanthropists, made a large donation in 2007 to begin the restoration process. Jack Mahuron had served on the Board of Advisers of IU Southeast with Bill Cook and knew that he and Gayle were interested in Beck's Mill. They had visited it several times over the years. Jack contacted him at Bloomington asking him to assist with the restoration. He graciously declined because he was busy with the restoration of French Lick and West Baden Hotels. A few months later, however, on March 1, 2007, he sent his Architect George Ridgway and his contractor Joe Pritchett of Pritchett Brothers, to a meeting of the Friends, it was announced that billionaire Bill and Gayle Cook would fund the restoration if the Friends would accept the offer.
Restoration of the mill began in earnest in May 2007 with Tracy Wells as foreman of the project for Pritchett Brothers. The first task was to remove the old equipment, tools, and the remaining features of the general store and fabric-making, including two carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
machines. The old turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s were cleaned, and the stone foundation was repaired by lifting the mill from its moorings. In September 2007 the outside work was stopped for the year. The mill workings, currently held in storage at Salem, were re-installed in the spring 2008. A grand opening of the mill is planned for the fall of 2008, in time for the 200th anniversary of the first Beck's Mill.
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce gave their 2007 Citizen of the Year award to the Friends, due to the restoration of the mill. There is some fear that restoration of the mill by using cave water may affect the ecology of the cave, in particular its blind fish
Northern Cavefish
Amblyopsis spelaea, The northern cavefish, northern blindfish, or blind cavefish of the mammoth cave is found in caves through Kentucky and southern Indiana...
. Beck's Mill is set to be reopened for the public on September 20, 2008, to coincide with the Old Settler's Days festival in Salem.
Upon completion of the restoration, Jack Mahuron, the primary supporter of the restoration and a member of the Hoosier Hikers Council asked the group to come in and build walking trails. Suzanne Mittenthal, executive Director of the group brought in several of the members for the work. Over a two year period the hikers built about three mile of trails for the public to use and enjoy the natural beauty of the park.
The restoration of a 200 year old log cabin has also been in progress on the hill in back of the Mill.
Settlement
Pigeon Roost State Historic Site
Pigeon Roost State Historic Site is located between Scottsburg and Henryville, Indiana, near Underwood, Indiana. A one-lane road off U.S. Route 31 takes the visitor to the site of a village where Indians massacred 24 settlers shortly after the War of 1812 began.-Pigeon Roost Village:Pigeon Roost...
in 1812, the Becks built two small forts on the property to protect against Indians, and perhaps also due to Indians stealing three barrels of whiskey from George Beck. The new protection began to draw new residents. In 1814 the settlement of Beck's Mill was in consideration to be the county seat of Washington County, only for Salem to eventually get the coveted position. Today the settlement, a few yards uphill from the mill, is the crossroad of Beck's Mill Road and Old Vincennes trail
Buffalo Trace (road)
The Buffalo Trace was a trackway running through what are now the American states of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Originally formed by migrating bison, the trace crossed the Ohio River near the Falls of the Ohio and the Wabash River near Vincennes...
, with a former fire station and country store being its main signs of civilization. The Stage Coach stop from New Albany, Indiana was also located at the SW corner and is still standing. The Beck's Hill store has been reopened and is owned and operated by Bill and Annie Smith. It is operated as an old general store and museum. Food is also served, the menu consists of soups, sandwiches and soft ice cream.An extremely old dwelling on the SE adjoining the store and also belonging to Smith's is being restored.
Beck's Mill Bridge
On September 20, 2007, the bridge by the mill, referred to by the NRHP as the Beck’s Mill Bridge, or Washington County Bridge # 105, was placed on the National Register separately.It's a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
arch bridge designed by Daniel Luten, a noted engineer from Indiana known for his work on elastic theory, for arch bridges.