By Sophie Nieport
Darke County Parks
The stones are still turning 175 years later along the Scenic Greenville Creek just East of Greenville, Ohio. The French Buhr stones were imported from France in 1849 by Gabriel Baer. Equivalent to a 7 on the Moh’s Hardness scale (diamond is a 10), these stones are well equipped to work indefinitely if taken care of properly. That is what we are paying homage to – those who have helped preserve not just the stones, but the mill itself, and all of the water-powered equipment in it.
It all started with Gabriel Baer. He moved to Darke County from Lancaster County, PA. with a wealth of milling knowledge. He took the time and spent the money for the best equipment to ensure we have a great mill. His son-in-law, Emanuel Hershey was the next owner and miller. He kept the stones turning until 1862. The mill stopped operating around 1864 due to fear of losing the mill to Confederate Soldiers during the Civil War. It wasn’t until Marcellus Cromer bought and took over the mill in 1884 that it began operations again. Mr. Cromer had the run of the mill for 64 years – the longest of anyone!
The next owner and miller was Charley Andrews. We can thank Mr. Andrews for not only preserving the mill, but for a cleaner Greenville Creek. He fought the City of Greenville in court for about 6 years to clean up the wastewater being dumped into the creek; which prompted the construction of a new sewage plant in 1970.
Bear’s Mill truly became ‘a place to go’ after Terry & Julie Clark bought the mill in 1979. They didn’t just see a place to grind grain, they saw history and an amazing tourism opportunity. They brought people in to tour the mill, shop in the unique gift shop, view and purchase art & pottery, walk the trails behind the mill, and attend special events and festivals. Bear’s Mill became a place that had something for everyone!
The Clarks sold the mill to a non-profit group called Friends of Bear’s Mill in 2013. This group is composed of many individuals who donate their time to keep the mill running. What a collaboration of many people with big hearts! The Friends of Bear’s Mill gifted the mill and the surrounding 35 acres to Darke County Parks in 2021. Since then, it has been another collaboration between the Parks’ staff, Friends of Bear’s Mill, the Clarks, and many other volunteers! Several projects have come to fruition through ownership of the Parks, and we are just getting started.
A recent collaboration happened in February 2024 with Mason Maddox. Mason was the miller at Colvin Run Mill for 22 years, is a longtime SPOOM (Society for Preservation of Old Mills) member, director for many years, and currently one of the SPOOM miller trainers. Mason traveled from Virginia to help and teach me how to dress our buhr millstones. I thought we were paying him for a service, but it turned out to be so much more than that. Mason has a wealth of milling knowledge and was more than willing to share!
Thank you to all those mentioned, and the many not mentioned who put their hearts into keeping this mill alive.
Some special things planned in 2024: a new book published: Bear’s Mill A Place in Time, by Lois Smith, Ted Yoder Concert on the lawn July 26th, we are hosting the Great Lakes SPOOM Chapter meeting May 18th, exciting new commemorative products and logos, installation of the next statue along the Darke County Art Trail, Fall Open House October 12-13th, and Luminary Christmas event December 6th. Follow Darke County Parks and Historic Bear’s Mill on Facebook for the most up-to-date information!
