Not Just Your "Run of the Mill" Family

The Old Grist Mill at Carillon Park

When I was a schoolgirl one of my favorite field trips was our almost yearly visit to Carillon Park.  I enjoyed the tour through the old schoolhouse, Newcom Tavern, the trains, but by far my favorite attraction was the grist mill.  I could have watched the waterwheel spin for hours and the stones grinding inside the building always fascinated me.  

In the past few years researching my family history, I think I have learned why.

I have "mills" in my blood.

My 4th great grandfather, Samuel Shoemaker, owned a mill on Baker's Fork in Highland County.

The Shoemaker Mill

My Armstong ancestors in Guernsey County operated a mill in Clio, Ohio, also known as "Armstrong's Mill."  The town was flooded in the creation of the Salt Fork Lake, but the bridge by the mill was saved and moved to Cambridge City Park, where it stands today.

An old photo of Armstrong's Mill and the Bridge today.

Standing inside that bridge and touching the wooden planks that form it's sides was like touching a piece of the past; connecting with those family members of long ago.

There are but a few of Ohio's mills still standing today.  We have visited both Clifton Mill and Bear's Mill and I discovered I have that old fascination with watching the water turn those big old wheels.

Clifton Mill

                                                                   Inside Bear's Mill

There really is nothing quite like standing inside one of the old mills and listening to the rhythm of the wheel turning and imaging the hustle and bustle that must have taken place during those early Ohio years.  Not long ago, I saw on television some storage sheds that were sold in the Eastern part of the country that had an actual working water wheel on the side. Someday, I sure would love to have one of those sitting in my own backyard.  It only seems fitting for a girl with "milling" in her blood, don't you think?