Posted By The Miller on May 10, 2010
Rob Jones sponsored his 2nd annual wood carving camp in Bridgeton. This is a special computerized (CNC) machine and they all learn and share info. Here they are eating at the Bridgeton Mill Snack Shop.
Posted By The Miller on May 7, 2010
Leo from the Country Store in Bridgeton has volunteered to do the landscaping around the covered bridge. The association only pays the wholesale cost for the flowers and other ……. stuff. Here he is watering. He has to go down to the creek and fill the sprinkling cans. The place looks like a state park thanks to Leo.
Posted By The Miller on February 22, 2010
I have tried to get Purple Corn several times in the past. Finally, I found a supplier that handled it. It is so dark it looks like coffee beans. Why is corn different colors? The more vitamins in a grain the darker and more colorful it becomes. This is the richest tasting cornmeal I have ever had. Wonderful! ! The first order – 150lbs sold pretty fast at the Winter Farmer’s Market in Indy. So, I have ordered more for the Maple Syrup Fest. Hopefully, I can get it ground, mixed and bagged before Sat. And, it is sitting on the living room floor right now ….. so I need to get it moved to the mill. I’m lucky to have an understanding wife that puts up with me.
Posted By The Miller on February 22, 2010
Time to dig out the Ole Mill Truck. Maple Syrup Fest. is coming. Feb. 27 – 28 and March 6 – 7. I like to deliver the mill products to the festival with the mill truck. Ethan (age 10 – grandson) is sick and spending the day with me at home. Hopefully, tomorrow he will be better and I can head out to the mill and get prepared for the festival. The mill might not be OPEN for the Fest. I will be in Rockville at the Pancake Breakfast. If Nate (Youngest son – 29) isn’t working he will OPEN up the mill. We usually do very well here cause a lot of folks are running out of our products.
Posted By The Miller on February 1, 2010
When I first built the big gate … I bought a 2 ton hoist to operate it. The gate only weighs around 550 #s. However, when the head race is full of water there is a lot of hydraulic pressure on the gate. So, I used the big hoist and an old metal axle I found in the mill. I built the frame with 2 X 8 in. oak and drilled holes for the iron bar to slide into. As you can see in the photo the iron bar (solid) bent. It also cracked the oak frame slightly. Jay Scrivhor designed and built the new piece in the photo. When it warmes up I will install it. It should support the oak and not bend like the metal bar did.
Thanks Jay
Mike Roe
Posted By The Miller on December 28, 2009
The mill is closed for the winter … we still do mail order. And, we are doing a farmer’s market in Indianapolis on Saturdays. Yes, it is indoors. Today, Sunday – 27th of Dec…… We went sledding with the grand kids. On this run I told Karen I was going to get to the bottom of the hill before her. The sled turned around and she got to the bottom first ! ? ! ? !
Posted By The Miller on December 14, 2009
Here is Chris (Our oldest son) helping me with the work. I am pushing the broken concrete and rocks away from the fallen wall. I’m also trying to direct the water away from the work area.
The water came back up the next day so we had to stop. We got a little less than 1/4 of the wall broke up. I did manage to pick up 2 nails with the tractor tires. One flattened a front tire. The other one went into the knob of the rear tire so it didn’t cause a flat. I believe this makes 8 flat tires from driving in the creek.
Posted By The Miller on December 14, 2009
Here I am with the jack hammer again. Maybe I should have bought one years ago. The water in the creek went down so I diverted it away from the concrete wall I found lying in the creek and started hammering on it.
Posted By The Miller on December 13, 2009
As the water washes out more dirt I see more and more of the bedrock and ……. stuff. I am looking for a channel. Hansel (Former owner of the mill (1938 – 41) blasted out a channel with dynamite so he could get more horsepower. I know where it should be but it was under about 6 ft. of dirt.
The dirt is now gone and only rocks, sand and cement chunks are left. I took this photo from the deck on the back of the mill … looking down at the creek. In the photo you can see the wall (under the water) that blew out in the dust explosion of 1951. I thought it had been blown apart ….. wrong. The top part or second floor was cement blocks. They are all over the creek. The lower portion was a cement wall. Twelve inches thick with re bar - 23 1/2 ft wide and I don’t know how high. It is laying in the channel I have been looking for. The rest of the wall is still under the junk on the left. I need to remove this concrete to get to the channel.
Posted By The Miller on December 13, 2009
Someone kicked a few boards off the covered bridge so they could grab the Christmas wreath. It was 8 ft. tall. Since we have restored the mill dam and mill pond the only way to get to the wreath was from the inside. Fortunately the boards didn’t fall into the creek. The county was able to fix it. I have contacted the media … 2 newspapers and 2 TV stations. I have heard other newspapers and TV stations have picked up the story. Hopefully someone will see the wreath. I think an 8 ft. Christmas wreath is easy to see.