Snoddy's Mill facts for kids

Snoddy's Mill was a historic building in Fountain County, Indiana. It was a grist mill, which is a place where grain like corn is ground into flour. This mill was very important for the people living in the area a long time ago.

The Mill's Early Days

In 1828, two men named Benjamin Beckelhymer and Isaac Ferguson built a sawmill. A sawmill is used to cut trees into lumber. This was very helpful for building homes in early Fountain County. As more people moved to the area, they needed more ground corn for food. So, the partners soon added a grist mill to grind corn.

Beckelhymer and Ferguson ran both mills for about ten years. After that, they sold the mill to John A. Kiger. Kiger then sold it to John Headley.

Becoming Headley's Mills

The mill was known as Headley's Mills for many years. It operated under this name until 1851. That year, two new partners, Samuel I. Snoddy and John Hardisty, bought the mill. They ran it together for a few years.

In 1854, they sold the mill to George Mosier. But just one year later, in 1855, Samuel Snoddy bought the mill back. He also bought about 12 acres of land next to it. In 1863, he made the property even bigger by adding 160 more acres.

Snoddy's Mills and Growth

Samuel Snoddy was also the local postmaster. In October 1864, he changed the name of Headley's Mills to "Snoddy's Mills." He saw that the nearby coal mining town of Stringtown was growing. This meant more people needed flour.

So, in 1869, Snoddy improved the grist mill. He added new grinding stones to make more flour. By 1872, a railroad was built. This made it easier to ship coal from the mines. Snoddy's businesses grew even more. He opened his first general store within two years. By 1877, he had two stores: one for groceries and one for other goods. In 1888, Snoddy handed over the businesses to his two sons.

The Mill's Later Years

Even when the local coal mining business slowed down, Snoddy's Mills kept going. The post office name changed to "Coal Creek" in July 1888. The old wooden dam was replaced with a stronger concrete dam. The mill continued to operate until 1946.

The creek below the dam became a popular spot for swimming. In 1965, Stringtown Road was moved so cars no longer drove right over Coal Creek at Snoddy's Mill. In 1966, the local historical society fixed up the mill building. They wanted to use it as a museum. However, the building was later left empty and was torn down in 1982. The concrete dam is still there today.