Milling around for more than a Century

Near Youngstown you can find a wonderful piece of Ohio history tucked along a creek. Not only can you tour an important cog in the wheel of industry in Ohio's history, but take a walk along the wonders that nature carved over  thousands of years millions of years ago.

Lanterman's Mill is the third mill since 1797 to operate at this spot along what today is known as Mill Creek.  Youngstown founder John Young and Phineas Hill surveyed the falls along what is today U.S. Route 62 west of Youngstown.  Young sold 300 acres surrounding the falls to Hill with the understanding that a mill would quickly be built there.

First a grist and saw mill, then later only a gristmill, the location was ideal.  The second mill on the location was struck by natural disaster when flooding in 1843 wiped out the mill.  The thousand+ pound mill grindstone can be seen today 500 feet downstream from that original location.  German Lanterman, and his brother-in-law Samuel Kimberly, built the third, and current, structure three years after the flood.  The mill has since born his name.

Lanterman used mother nature to his advantage, carving the bottom of the mill alongside the sandstone rock.  Touring the mill today, visitors descend three levels to view the indoor water wheel and gear assembly.  In what feels like a twist between an archaeological dig and a spelunking adventure, the bare rock walls still seep and drip with moisture, iron discoloration from exposure to oxygen baring testimony to the science of history.

Still operational, the mill grinds primarily wheat today but has examples to show of buckwheat and corn to those who view the grindstone on the main floor.  Mill interpreters lead visitors through the steps in the milling process and the mechanics behind working, maintaining and replacing mill stones, which have a life expectancy of a half-century but needed to be "dressed" weekly.  The two half ton grinding stones, depending on how fine the resulting flour should be, leave space between them no thicker than a piece of paper or as fine as tissue paper.

While competition from modern technology (of the day) caused the Lanterman's Mill to cease in 1888, a hundred years later it was restored and opened to the public as a fully operational mill. In the intervening century it had served the public interest as a bathhouse for swimmers, nature museum and historical museum.  In 1892 it was purchased as park property and for 25 years served the public good as ballroom, concession stand and bathhouse with the upper floors used as boat storage.  In 1974 the mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1982 a full restoration was initiated, using historical records and blueprints.

The Mill is operated, and surrounded, by the Mill Creek Metroparks in Mahoning County.  The immediate park property includes a visitor center, gardens, a 400-acre working farm, golf course and walking trails that include an historic iron furnace marker and remains, a log cabin, two unique bridges (suspension and parapet).  Upstream from the mill is a covered bridge, originally built in the early 1800s to provide better access for farmers to deliver their grain to the mill.  Signage on the bridge today, after being rebuilt in 1989, states that covered bridges were built to help ease the stress of the horses.  Horses, quite aptly, were able to see that a typical bridge had no sides and the rushing river below was a danger.  The covered bridge, then, acts as a form of blinders to keep the animal focused on the task at hand.

The walking trails that extend up and downstream make the complex the centerpiece of an afternoon hike.  The mill has a small souvenir shop that sells flour milled onsite, other historic items but also remains historically faithful with concessions that include cold drinks and frozen treats.  A two mile loop takes hikers along the Mill Creek, sandwiched between glacier-carved sandstone rocks and the creek itself along a well maintained board walk.  

Today a tour of the five story mill costs all of $1, less if you are a Mahoning County resident.  Quite a bargain for a working piece of how you can see Ohio as America.  In the heart of what was to become the "rust belt" a mill still stands as a hopeful beacon that a region that once thrived industrially just might emerge in a new century in a new way for a new market.

- J.

Zoaring above it all

In 1817 a group of German separatists took root in Tuscarawas County not far from the river of the same name. They formed a commune and until 1898 successfully separated not only from the German Lutheran religion, but also somewhat from American society as well. A visit to Zoar Village (see right, click to enlarge) brings you into a world almost unto itself, even in the modern 21st century.

Located about 45 minutes south of Akron and not far off I-77 (map), Zoar offers a glimpse of life in the 1800s that was a simpler time fraught with long hours of hard work. But it is a village that sheds the contemporary for its history. Residents are allowed to operate stores on their property, but only if they reside at that location. It increases the dedication of those who live there to the village and the care is evident. There are no rundown, blighted old properties in the village.

Due to Ohio Historical Society budget cuts, legislated by the Ohio General Assembly and done at a deep and lasting manner, the extent of guided tours may be limited and inconsistent with printed or web-posted literature. A guided tour offers a costumed interpreter detailing the nature of the Zoar commune as well as the individual jobs at various buildings.

House #1 is a large brick building that was originally intended for the aged as they moved to a later stage in life. A senior assisted living facility as it were. However stubborn seniors of the day tended to refuse moving into the facility. Wide entries and hallways with extremely high ceilings give a vast open feel to the rooms. Each room today displays various aspects of the Zoarites culture, from baby carriages, clothing, typical bedrooms to even musical instruments including a massive pipe organ. Through a breezeway the kitchen and laundry facilities can be found (see left, click to enlarge).

Several of the homes around Zoar feature clay roofing tiles that were kilned in Zoar (see right, click to enlarge). They have a striking resemblance to cedar shakes. Bricks were also kilned in the village and many pottery items were made there as well. Zoar was quite the self-sufficient commune in many senses of the word.

Central to the town are the gardens, which have religious symbolism in the planning (see left, click to enlarge). At the center tree rises to heaven as the Tree of Life or Christ, surrounded by hedge represnting heaven and 12 others trees which symbolize the 12 apostles. Paths lead from outside the gardens to the center and are representative of the paths people walk in life. At the edge of the garden is an innovative greenhouse, including a furnace that piped in heat via terra cotta pipes from a basement to the main greenhouse.

The bakery still operates on weekends and the freshly baked bread is a local favorite and quite popular (see right, click to enlarge). A large and smaller oven originally produced hundreds of loaves a day. Frequently on their way home children would stop into the bakery to bring home bread to the family. At times it was even passed out the front windows.

Bread making was often a slow process, as a Starter was created and fermented (see left, click to enlarge) many months for the sourdough bread that is so popular in the village. Starters were often begun in January. Men often also cut wood in January as it was the time sap was lowest in the tree (making it easier to cut) and would dry faster for use later in the year.

The blacksmith and tinsmith were two of the more highly skilled trades operating in the village. The tinship shop today (see right, click to enlarge) is loaded with a plethora of highly specific tools for various types of products. While seemingly frail and flexible, many of the tools added strength and durability to the product making it lightweight and built for longevity.


The Springs building (see left, click to enlarge) is one of the locations tin products can be seen as used. Spring water was fed into the room below and behind the town's general store and into pools that drained very slowly. Milk from the adjacent dairy was placed in tin containers in the Spring building to cool and to have the cream skimmed for use in making butter. Each house number was stamped on the tin container denoting the family's milk for the day.

Preservation efforts turned the run-down, decrepit dairy building into a beautifully restored masterpiece over several years between 1988 and 1992. Today the Zoar Community Association preserves and educates about the time, place and principles of the Zoarites.

While some buildings, such as the Treasurers House (see first photo of this essay), are privately owned and not part of a guided tour, others are open to the public regardless of any touring. The former Town Hall (and Firehouse) houses, on separate floors, a learning center and museum that includes Zoar's involvement in the building of the Ohio and Erie Canal through the region (see rleft, click to enlarge).

While state funding continues to decline and slow to a trickle, here's hoping that Zoar continues to soar as a living piece of the history of Ohio for the future to understand how the past created the present.

- J.