Fantastic mill to visit. Friendly staff! They have some very early textile equipment that you rarely see so if you are interested in textile production you will find this interesting.
I love the place and visit a few times a year. We just ran out of grits and were looking forward to restock. Unfortunately they were closed, 1:30 on a Saturday. It was raining but not flooding. Their site does suggest calling ahead. They have a festival coming up, we will try then. It is a great place to visit.
Cash or check only. Call ahead.
If you have never had fresh stone ground cornmeal or grits, it is a must try. I hated cornbread and grits growing up. I now know why. They tasted like a cardboard box not corn. Buy a bag of each and try what fresh tastes like.
A really awesome piece of history, beautifully maintained, taking a natural spring and turning it into power and production of locally grown crops for flower, hominy.
I learned from Mr Lee a really cool piece of knowledge is the term" fair to Midland" is a mill term relating to how coarse the wheat was ground..
A step back in time. The mill, the blacksmith shop, the old cabin, all worth spending time at. The volunteers are wonderful and can explain anything you see to you. Lots of antiques to study. And the gem is the property itself with super well marked trails from a mile to several miles long. Spend a day away from the hustle of today and admire life past
Fabulous setting in the qoods surrounded by limestone.
Beautiful running water. Wheat mill and carding and processing wool in the same mill. A true hidden treasure in Salem Indiana. So impressed.
Southern Indiana history is being maintained by dedicated folks so the rest of us can learn about our ancestors and what they faced to what they developed for current day Hoosiers.
The group bringing the mill back to life has done a wonderful job. For the first time in my life yesterday I drove by and saw the water wheel on the mill turning. It hasn't turned to my knowledge in my 40 years.
LOVED THIS! Sweet gem of historical significance, the volunteers who staff the site are knowledgeable and friendly. I'd recommend to anyone interested in history and beautifully restored national treasures.
This was an enchanting place! The mill is in amazing shape and the area surrounding it was gorgeous. The trails were cool and shady on a hot day. My kids enjoyed the unique stone/rock steps and exploring the area. A wonderful Man shared oodles of knowledge about the mill and surrounding area.This place is very well cared for. I highly recommend checking it out.
In 1807, the George Beck family left North Carolina. George left his wife and a few of their children in Bear Creek, now called Louisville. George and his two sons, John and George Jr. traveled around Indiana trying to locate a site for their home and ultimately their mill. In 1807, Indiana had no roads, only buffalo trails and numerous American Indians. After searching great distances, the two boys found a cave that was a source of springs. The area around the springs had been cleared by the local Indians. This was the site for George Beck's first home and mill.
George Beck and his sons built a log cabin and mill in 1808. They needed to buy millstones for their gristmill. Their funds were faily depleted so they went hunting and processes the furs. They transported the furs to Bear Creek (now Louisville) and purchased and/or traded for the millstones.
Beck had to create a means in which to build a supply of water from the springs to run his wooden water wheel. He decided to build a wooden dam which initially worked well. It held the mill pond and he accessed the water from the pond into a hollowed out log which was directed to his water wheel. Soon, Beck replaced his wooden dam with hand-carved block limestone.
His gristmill, millstones, small mill building and his wooden dam was functioning successfully. George decided to build a sawmill. Usually, when a new miller finds a new mill site, a sawmill is the first mill that is constructed. Due to the lack of population, he decided the gristmill was his primary objective because he needed to feed his family. As the surrounding region around Beck’s Mill developed, there was an immediate demand for sawn lumber to quickly build the new houses. The Beck’s Mill region was growing steadily and so was George Beck’s business.
By 1825, George realized his small gristmill was no longer able to support the demand. By 1826, George and his sons completed a larger gristmill and by 1827 he had added another attached building for a carding machine. George was an ingenuous entrepreneur. Now he was able to take the wool from local farmers, wash and clean it, dry it, take it through his picker and finally it was ready to process the wool through the carding machine powered by his waterwheel. Once the wool was processed it could create batting for blankets, clothing and spinning for thread.
Power. Power from the multiple springs that fed the water wheel not only supplied the millstones to grind the grain and cut the logs, George had utilized the power to process wool. He and his family accomplished so many applications in which to use their springs.
Beck’s Mill grew appreciably and the entire family worked the business. It again became clear that they needed a larger mill to meet the demand of grain in the region. The current mill building started construction during the 1860s and was ready for business in 1864. This third Beck Mill building is an impressive three level structure with a basement. The basement houses the gears, belts and pulleys that send the power up into the mill’s equipment. The foundation, still exists today, and is hand-carved limestone. Their current mill had its greatest success from 1864 through the 1890s. The mill ran 24-hours a day with family members always processing the grain when needed by the farmers. During the peak of the season, loaded wagons would wait in line for up to 2 or 3 days to get their grain ground.
Today Beck's Mill is beautifully maintained and is continuing to grind corn and sell it. The steel waterwheel is spectacular as well as the impressive stone dam that is soursed by the springs. The three levels plus the stone foundation (basement) make an inspiring view from the front of the mill and as you wind around the trails up the hill. (Scrapbook of Beck’s Mill by Dailene Martin Bobbit)
I’ve driven past Beck’s Mill many times in the last forty years, and it was always a mess; Saplings, weeds, brambles, the mill leaning at a 20º angle, a locked gate and “NO TRESPASSING” signs.
It’s amazing what a few million $$ will do, donated by Cook Medical of Bloomington, to the group dedicated to saving the mill.
The mill would have fallen into it’s own water supply, except it was leaning against a large tree and it’s own water wheel! Now, Beck’s Mill is beautiful!
People tend to think that all technology was invented in their own lifetimes. They should come and see the things Americans were capable of doing two hundred years ago.
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