Spring Mill State Park
On a partly sunny, cold, windy day we visited the Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, IN. The draw here is the grist mill in the restored village where they grind corn into meal and sell it in 2# bags for a dollar. What a great step back in time this was. The mill is 3 stories high, restored by the CCC in 1930. It was built in the early 1800's and was a working mill for decades. However in the 30's it was in disrepair when turned over to Indiana. The inside timbers were gutted and the mill restored according to original design plans. Outside you can see the flume that brings the water to the large wheel. Inside that wheel turns the gears and ultimately the stone to grind the corn. The small building at right front is a sawmill that runs on a smaller wheel.
The gear mechanism is awesome. Wonder who discovered how this works?
The grinding wheel is about 4' in diameter and is just for corn.
Here's the finished product...which we bought and it made great bread!
The village has several restored stores and homes...this was my favorite.
