Today as we look at “Stuff Settlers Said” we turn away from
the home and farm and look to another important area of support with in a
community. The Mill.
Now, the two mills one would most likely find in a community
would be the grist and lumber mills. The grist mill most certainly came into
use first, then after a short time the lumber mills became more and more
possible and profitable as routes of transport were cut out of the wilderness. The
grist mill was used to grind grains into flour or meal. The lumber mill was
used not only to cut wood into lumber, but as technology moved forward so did
the uses of water powered tools (the first power tools.) Since the grist mill
was the first mill that would be of use in a community we will focus our
attention there for now.
Above is the Grist Mill at Metamora, Indiana in Franklin
County.
Inside the grist mill house would be a bin high above the
site of grinding and milling, usually on the second or third floors of the
mill. A chute coming from the bottom of the bin directed the whole grains
toward a funnel like hopper that would further direct the grains into the hole
that had been created in the middle of the two millstones. The millstones
rotated in different directions so as to grind the grains into the meal and
flour that was desired. There were grooves that were chiseled into the surfaces
of the millstones to not only crunch the grains better, but also to direct the
tiny particles back to the middle and down into another chute where sacks were
placed to collect the finished product.
Now when we have a tough day we are likely to say “I was put through the
MILL today!” We can see now that being put through the mill would mean being
put through tedious functions, ran around in circles, and ground down beyond
recognition! This of course like most of these expressions is figurative in
nature. Mental and emotional stress can at times leave a person feeling as if
physically tortured.
Below is a diagram of the inner workings of a grist mill very similar to the ones built in the Whitewater Valley area in the early 1800’s:
This next expression is one I use way too much in my
everyday communication. As with most things in the early part of the 1800’s a
degree, quality, or measurement was very subjective – meaning it was different
to each person determining what was satisfactory. For instance a cook would
have her, or his own, idea of what a cup of flour was. A carpenter would
measure out a foot as his OWN foot (more often than not he would make a
template of his own foot to ensure any helpers would be using the same “foot”.)
So how would a miller determine what was a course, medium, or fine ground flour
or meal? He used “the rule of thumb.” He literally would rub the flour between
his fingers and thumb to feel for the quality of grind his customers requested.
A miller’s reputation hinged on his ability to grind the grain into acceptable
qualities. When you become an artesian of any trade you become very familiar
with what is the proper or accepted way of doing that trade. We say it is “the
rule of thumb.”
The link above is also an interesting short course on how to
be a miller at an historic mill!
When I was younger I remember the expression “like a
millstone around my neck” being used more often than it is today. It could be
that in my area of the country there were still remnants of that collective
memory of the milling era in East Central Indiana. You have to understand that
millstones were huge and heavy – a burden that was almost impossible for a
single man to bear on his own. When someone had burdens that were weighing
heavily on their hearts and minds – even some that were physically demanding –
became “like a millstone around their neck.”
Above is an example of a large mill stone recovered from the
Whitewater River behind Roberts Park in Connersville, Indiana. Several
millstones were used in developing the park for better public use in work that
the WPA and CCC completed as relief projects from 1935 to early 1942. As you
can see, the large one standing on end is a big as a vehicle!
In the picture above you can just barely see what may be the
last time the miller may have serviced this particular millstone before it was
abandoned in the Whitewater River. There are grooves, or burrows, spanning the
diameter of the stone. These were essential to the workings of the mill. These
grooves were what ground up the grains and directed the resulting meal or flour
in to the center hole of the stone. After just a few weeks (or sooner if the
mill was extremely busy) the grooves would smooth themselves out and the dresser would have to dismantle the whole thing
and “rough up” or dress the surface
of the stone. The dresser would have to be of a very powerful physique to do this job. This
chipping away of the stone was hard, dirty, necessary work to create a better
tool for the business. Over the years “roughing up” has come to be used as a
term to mean that a person needs to be forcefully and physically manipulated
into cooperating with someone or a group. Usually we equate this term now with
methods of organized crime.
Here is more on the workings of a grist mill:
The dresser also gave us another term we use today in the
work place or in the sports arena. When someone tells you it is time to “show
your mettle” it means they want you to show how good you are at your trade –
how much experience you have. The dresser’s job of burrowing out the grooves in
the millstones was dangerous, painful work. As he chipped away pieces of
millstone with his mill pick, small pieces of stone, as well as his metal tools,
flew through the air and stuck in the back of his hands. Even if the pieces
could be removed he usually had numerous scars to tell of his experiences at
the mill pick. If his hands were relatively clear of such scarring one knew his
career as a dresser was in the early stages and his work may not be as smooth
and fast as a more experienced dresser. “Mettle” is the Middle English spelling
for “metal.”
A lot of these terms seem to twist their original meanings a
bit. This next one is just so. When we think of a saying that describes work at
the office, most usually we say it was just the “run of the mill” old thing.
Meaning it was the routine, same, boring old things we do every day and so easy
that it’s not challenging any longer. As one gets more experienced at a job it
gets easier and easier to do better and business runs smoothly and uneventful. Work
becomes plain and ordinary. In the milling era there was not one thing about
milling that was easy, but if done properly, it was very routine. Of course if
a miller was good, had lots of business, and was conscientious he wanted to
keep things running smoothly and therefore would do all the routine operations
and maintenance regularly and on schedule.
One of my favorite pastimes is people watching when I am in
a city. It is interesting to watch basic human behavior when relative anonymity
is achieved in the crowd. One of the most common behaviors is “milling about.”
Ok, we know what that means- just wandering around aimlessly and wasting some
time. I really never knew where this came from. I thought perhaps it mimicked
the rotation of the millstones- but no, that is set and regular. It comes from
the culture created around WAITING AT THE MILL to have your grain processed.
This often times was an all-day affair. Usually it was several hours to get
your product done. As time went on towns grew around the mills because it was
easier to bring the commerce center near to the mill than to move the mill or
transport the product farther for sale. If the mill was remote, or you had
finished all your other business in town you most likely had to wait while your
turn came up. People get bored waiting. Back then people were not a sedentary
group as we are now. Most of the day was spent DOING something. They were just
not used to sitting as much as we are now. So the behavior of walking around, visiting
with the others waiting, or just stretching your stiff legs was the norm. They
were wandering about the mill, or “milling about.”
As I was researching
and gathering visual aids for this piece I kept coming across charming images
of the mill by the river in the picturesque woods, or weddings and tea parties,
perhaps the seasonal village festival such as some of these:
This is very nice. This certainly is our 21st
century experience of the grist mill. I love all these images and events. They
encourage a revitalization of historic tourism, which I am fondly in favor of!
However….even in my time the experience was not so
picturesque. One of my favorite stops in to town for my family on a Saturday
was Hadley’s Feed Mill in Connersville, Indiana. This was the 1970’s, NOT the
1800’s. Even so, the feed mill was situated next to the Whitewater River and
had the sounds and scents of a couple of hundred years of industry in the floor
boards and very ground it was built. I certainly would not have wanted to
picnic next to it. Dust from the hard packed ground and the old milling
processes long since stopped billowed up even in the winter time. The fermented
smell of grains and axle grease mingling and permeating every square inch of
the retail space reserved for rugged farming wear and implements will forever
stay with me. It was bread-like and a bit fetid at the same time, but for a
farm kid it had that same smell of home as the scent of cows in the pasture. (If
you are a kid of the farm then you know what I mean!) The roaring water of the
swift moving Whitewater River just below the narrow road that went around the
far end of the place scared even a river dwelling child like me. It was breathtakingly
beautiful in its nature and in its danger at every turn. The many stories of
drownings within its banks haunted my mesmerized stares into its dark beauty! By
my time huge farming grain trucks were used instead of wagons and oxen. If you
stepped out around the side of the building at the wrong time you were sure to
be a greasy spot in the dirt, my brothers warned me! It was still a place for
gathering and spreading gossip, I mean news, of the county. I remember there
was dime, not penny, candy for sale. I always wanted the pricey flashy western
wear for showing livestock at the Fayette County Free Fair (just recently voted
one of the top ten fairs in the entire United States!) Since we raised livestock
for our own consumption that sort of thing was looked upon as frivolous and a
waste of good time on our farm. I now agree! My memory of Hadley’s Feed Mill
also included the remnants of a vast manufacturing industry from a lost time.
By the time I was born Connersville was but a mere shadow of its former “Little
Detroit” fame. My Grandma Landers always used to tell me that “progress changed
and my memory stayed the same.” She meant to say that she remembered buildings
and roads of long ago but to say exactly where they had been is so hard when
they were erased by demolition and pavement. If it were not for the same road
with its hard turn right I would not remember where the site of the old mill
was even today only 40 some years later.
This is just one of the reasons I talk of the history of my
beloved home valley. Before you know it your todays become history erased. We
must make an effort to keep some of the past alive, you never know when we may
need it again.
**** Just a side note here: I am looking for any photos of the Whitewater Valley area. Preferably historic, but any will do. Please post here or contact me at historygal68@gmail.com if you would like to share. To be topic specific if there are any out there of Hadley's Feed Store/Mill please contact me. *****
-Suzanna
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