Mansfield Roller Mill
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The Mansfield Roller Mill or Mansfield Mill is a (
gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
) that was built in
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by Jacob Rohm in 1875. This building replaced an older mill that dates back to 1821 built by James Kelsey and Francis Dickson; The mill is a state historic site owned by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks. It is operated by the Raccoon Lake Interpretive Services from nearby Raccoon State Recreation Area. Much of the original water powered equipment still operates.


History


Original Mill

In 1821 James Kelsey and Francis Dickson partnered up to build a small mill along the banks of the Big Raccoon Creek. The spot they chose was ideal as it stood on firm sandstone bedrock near a sandstone ford in the creek. Plenty of virgin timber in the uncut wilderness provided materials for the original 30 X 20 log structure. In 1828, after a lengthy lawsuit, James Kelsey sells his half of the mill to Francis Dickson for $500. later that year Dickson sells 2/3 of an interest in the mill to James and Joseph Strain for $1,500. He then sells 1/3 of an interest in the mill for $1,800 to Joseph Pots. in 1831 Pots sells his interest in the mill to the Strain brothers in 1839 for $2,000. The Strain brothers are believed to be responsible for adding a sash mill sometime in the 1830s. In 1845 they sell the mill and surrounding land to Senator George Kirkpatrick Steele. Steele was a local store owner who had come to the area from nearby Portland Mills in 1829. During Steele's ownership it is believed that the original structure was added on and enlarged until it reached a size of 50' x 60'. The mill was sold in 1846 to George W Crosby who died shortly thereafter. Leaving his heirs with significant debt the mill's ownership was sold at auction to Judge Samuel B Gookins for $4,714. Judge Gookins is responsible for platting the town of Mansfield during his ownership of the Mill. Peter and Nancy Bird bought the mills from Mr Gookin for $8,000 in 1861. The Mill changed hands 3 more times in the next 5 years, eventually coming into the hands of James Murphy in 1866 for $8,000. He then sold the mill to who perhaps may have been the most influential owners of the Mill, Jacob and Mary Rohm in 1875.


Jacob Rohm

In 1875 a local mill entrepreneur by the name of Jacob Rohm bought the Mansfield Mill. Being a veteran miller he made some impressive changes to the structure. first he tore down the mill in 1880 and redesigned it from the ground up. He replaced the previous tub wheels with two new water powered turbines, the 85 HP Rodney Hunt installed in 1886 and the 65 HP Lefel installed in 1889. He also modeled the mill entirely off of the latest Oliver Evans design with bucket elevators and spouts replacing bag and shoulder methods. He also added in a corn mill on the south wall in addition to the 4 operating flour mills. In 1884 he removed the antiquated Buhr stones and replaced them with top-of-the-line metal roll-stands. The new mill was valued at $18,000 in 1891.


End of Commercial Operations

In 1929, Jacob Rohm's two sons sold the mill to Walter Ferguson. He in turn sold the Mill to Clarence Reeves in 1933 for $2,000. R.L. Reeves inherited the mill from his father and ran the mill as R.L. Reeves and Son up until his death in 1967. The mill then sold in 1969 for $1.00 to Edward (Tex) Terry and his wife Isabell. Between 1973 and 1978 Tex Kelly ( Edward Earl Terry (actor)) "The Bad Man of the movies" purchased the Mansfield Roller Mill and several other buildings and attempted to fulfill his dream of turning the town into Frontier City. His efforts failed and in 1979, Tex and Isabel returned to Tex's hometown of Coxville, Indiana and opened "Tex's Longhorn Tavern".Tex Terry
/ref> in 1978 the mill was sold to Robert Twell. Owners Jack & Shirley Dalton and Frank & Sharon Hutcheson donated the mill to the
Indiana Department of Natural Resources The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana. There are many divisions within the DNR and each has a specific role. The DNR is not only responsible for maintaining resource areas but also manages ...
, Division of State Museums and Historic Sites in 1995. In 2002 the mill was traded from The Division of Historic Sites to the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, and is now owned, maintained and operated by Raccoon State Recreation Area. In 1998 significant restoration work was started that took several years to complete. The overhaul was started by Indiana Division of Historic Sites in the 1990s and completed by Raccoon State Recreation Area in 2005. The mill does equipment demonstrations for festivals and special events using its original Rodney Hunt Turbine installed in 1886. The Mansfield Roller Mill is located at the corner of Mansfield Rd. (historic) and Big Raccoon Creek in Mansfield IN 47872, just southeast of
Rockville, Indiana Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World". History Roc ...
. Mansfield Road (historic) is now called by several names depending on the map date: *Country Road-37 (CR-37) (Most maps) *Green Castle Road *East 700 South


Geographic Coordinates

** Latitude: 39° 40' 35" N Longitude: 87° 6' 7.99" W *
Google Map


See also

*
List of Registered Historic Places in Indiana __NOTOC__ This is a list of properties and districts in Indiana that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are over 2,000 in total. Of these, 44 are National Historic Landmarks. Each of Indiana's 92 counties has at least ...
* Mansfield Indiana *
Mansfield Covered Bridge The Mansfield Covered Bridge is a Double Burr Arch double span truss bridge located on Mansfield Road (historic) and Big Raccoon Creek in Mansfield southeast of Rockville in Parke County, Indiana. Built by Joseph J. Daniels in 1867 at a cost o ...
*
Parke County Covered Bridges The covered bridges of Parke County are well-known tourist attractions in Parke County, Indiana, Parke County, Indiana, United States, which touts itself as the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World". The county claims to have more covered bridges ...
*
Pleasant Valley Cemetery Pleasant Valley Cemetery and Pleasant Valley Methodist Church were formed in 1805 and are located in Parke County, Indiana. History The house was located in Raccoon Township, Parke County, Indiana. The first pastor of the church was William ...
*
Parke County Covered Bridge Festival The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is a fall festival which takes place in nine communities in Parke County, Indiana, United States. It celebrates the county's 31 covered bridges, and is attended by more than 2 million people each year. It ...


External links


Historic Mansfield Roller Mill
- official site
Mansfield VillageHistoric Roller Mill


References

{{reflist National Register of Historic Places in Parke County, Indiana Industrial buildings completed in 1920 Museums in Parke County, Indiana Mill museums in Indiana Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana