Mansfield Roller Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mansfield Roller Mill
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 Location in Parke County, Indiana
Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mansfield, Indiana |
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| Architect | Jacob Rohm |
| MPS | Grain Mills in Indiana MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001788 |
| Added to NRHP | December 7, 1990 |
The Mansfield Roller Mill, also known as Mansfield Mill, is a historic gristmill located in Mansfield, Indiana, United States. A gristmill is a place where grain is ground into flour. Jacob Rohm built this mill in 1875. It replaced an even older mill that was built way back in 1821 by James Kelsey and Francis Dickson.
Today, the Mansfield Mill is an important historic site. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources owns it. It is managed by the Raccoon Lake Interpretive Services, which is part of the Raccoon State Recreation Area. Many of the original machines that used water power still work at the mill.
Contents
History of the Mansfield Mill
The First Mill (1821-1875)
In 1821, two men named James Kelsey and Francis Dickson decided to build a small mill. They chose a great spot along the Big Raccoon Creek. This area had strong sandstone rock and lots of trees for building materials. Their first mill was a log building, about 30 feet by 20 feet.
Over the years, the mill changed owners many times. In 1828, Francis Dickson became the sole owner. Later, he sold parts of the mill to James and Joseph Strain. The Strain brothers likely added a "sash mill" in the 1830s. This type of mill was used for sawing timber.
In 1845, the Strain brothers sold the mill to Senator George Kirkpatrick Steele. He was a local store owner. During his time, the mill grew much larger, reaching about 50 feet by 60 feet. After Steele, the mill was sold to George W. Crosby. When he passed away, the mill was sold at an auction to Judge Samuel B. Gookins. Judge Gookins helped plan the town of Mansfield.
The mill continued to change hands several more times. In 1861, Peter and Nancy Bird bought it. Finally, in 1875, Jacob and Mary Rohm became the owners. They would make some of the biggest changes to the mill.
Jacob Rohm's Modern Mill
Jacob Rohm was an experienced miller. When he bought the Mansfield Mill in 1875, he had big plans. In 1880, he completely tore down the old mill. He then built a brand new one from the ground up.
Rohm made many important upgrades. He replaced the old water wheels with two powerful water-powered turbines. One was an 85-horsepower Rodney Hunt turbine, installed in 1886. The other was a 65-horsepower Lefel turbine, added in 1889.
He also designed the mill using the latest ideas from Oliver Evans. This meant using bucket elevators and spouts to move grain. This was much more efficient than carrying bags by hand. Rohm also added a corn mill and kept four flour mills running. In 1884, he replaced the old "Buhr stones" (large grinding stones) with modern metal roll-stands. By 1891, the new mill was worth a lot of money!
Later Owners and Restoration
Jacob Rohm's sons sold the mill in 1929 to Walter Ferguson. It changed hands a few more times over the years. In 1933, Clarence Reeves bought it. His son, R.L. Reeves, inherited the mill and ran it until he passed away in 1967.
In 1969, Edward (Tex) Terry and his wife Isabell bought the mill for just $1.00. Tex Kelly, who was an actor, tried to turn the town into "Frontier City" between 1973 and 1978. His plans did not work out. In 1979, Tex and Isabel moved back to Tex's hometown.
The mill was sold to Robert Twell in 1978. Then, in 1995, owners Jack and Shirley Dalton, along with Frank and Sharon Hutcheson, generously donated the mill. They gave it to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, specifically to the Division of State Museums and Historic Sites.
In 2002, the mill's ownership moved to the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs. Now, the Raccoon State Recreation Area owns, takes care of, and operates the mill.
Important restoration work began in 1998 and took several years. The Indiana Division of Historic Sites started the work, and the Raccoon State Recreation Area finished it in 2005. Today, the mill still uses its original Rodney Hunt Turbine from 1886 to show how it worked during festivals and special events.
The Mansfield Roller Mill is located in Mansfield, Indiana, just southeast of Rockville, Indiana. You can find it at the corner of Mansfield Road (which is now called Country Road-37 or CR-37 on most maps) and Big Raccoon Creek.
Geographic Location
- Latitude: 39° 40' 35" N
- Longitude: 87° 6' 7.99" W
- You can see the mill on a map here: Google Map
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Indiana
- Mansfield Indiana
- Mansfield Covered Bridge
- Parke County Covered Bridges
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
- Parke County Covered Bridge Festival
