Sophie Nieport, Miller/Mill Manager

Welcome back, as I continue summarizing an interesting book titled Practical Milling, published in 1924.

American millers, after adopting the automatic milling equipment, thought it best to have the stones as close as possible when grinding. This maximized the amount of flour produced and minimized the bran, or middlings. This technique was called the “American” or “Flat Grinding” Process. They found that re-ground middlings created an inferior flour. Flat grinding made the product hotter and wetter than if ground with the stones further apart. This is where the hopper boy, or cooler came into play, and the meal would be cooled down before entering the bolter. The hopper-boy spread out the meal from the stone, gradually working it to the center of the room. The meal then got fed to reels or bolters on the floor below. Hopper-boys ranged in diameter from 6 feet to 15 feet wide and would turn about 55 revolutions per minute.

A simple mill during this time consisted of one set of 4-4.5 ft. diameter stones that could grind at the rate of 20 bushels per hour, producing 100 or more barrels of flour in 24 hours. The remaining equipment in a simple mill design included a cooler, one hexagon bolter, a scourer, and two elevators.

Hard spring wheat, with brittle bran, needed to be ground higher with more space between the stones. This caused more middlings to be produced. Inventions and improvements made to purifiers were made in order to re-grind the middlings for a better product.  It was found best to purify the middlings by removing impurities, then regrinding them, making ‘patent flour,’ which could be sold for almost double the amount. The first successful purifier used in the United States was in 1871 in the Washburn Mill at Minneapolis.

Flat Grinding became less desirable. “New Process Milling” involved raising the stones and grinding high became common practice. This also created a change in the way the grooves were etched into the stones. When you want finer flour and less middlings, you created more lands, or flat spots, and fewer furrows. Changing over to the New Process, less lands were made, and furrow surface increased. The rate of feeding the grain into the stones decreased from about 20 bushels an hour to 8-12 bushels per hour. The speed of the stones was also slowed down in the New Process Milling, creating less heat. Keeping the stones slow and cool was important.

Attention to the stones increased. Stone dressing became an art and a science. The surface of the stones was kept as smooth and true as possible. Various new styles of dresses were experimented with. Without guides or prior knowledge, millers had to be innovative thinkers willing to try new things. Millers wore many hats and had to have an ingenious mind. This New Process Milling was most common from 1875-1883 before steel roller mills were introduced.

The transition to roller mills in the United States was gradual until about 1881. At first, millers just used the roller mills for grinding middlings, still using stones to grind wheat. But eventually, all mills transitioned to roller mills or went out of business.  

Bear’s Mill is unique for the fact that even though the mill was converted to a roller mill, the French Buhr stones were kept intact. We still have three sets of these stones, all in great condition. We only use one set for grinding due to less demand, but all three sets have life left in them. When visiting Bear’s Mill, you can travel through time and see how the mill transitioned and grew based on milling technology. We are fortunate to have all of the equipment we do, and I am honored to contribute to its continued preservation.

As we welcome 2024, join us in celebrating Bears Mill’s 175th birthday! Keep an eye out for special events, a new book and video, and fun surprises in the gift shop! Follow Historic Bear’s Mill and Darke County Parks on social media for the most up-to-date information.

Mitchell Pence, Outreach Coordinator

Like the frost that creeps up your kitchen window, winter and her cold embrace grows ever nearer. Gloomy, gray clouds hover overhead and the last resistance, of autumn’s fiery color, has surrendered to the bone-chilling winds from the north. Mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects prepare for a long slumber in their dens, under the leaf litter, or they will burrow their way under the soil to escape the frost layer. Migratory birds have already taken to the skies and are headed south until the weather is suitable again. An eerie quiet falls across the northern hemisphere as everyone braces for the seemingly endless winter.

While the holiday season is a happy distraction from this reality, once the new year has come and gone, it can be difficult to remain positive and active until March and April. We all seem to think that only when the first buds begin to appear from the ground, we can finally be happy again. While my first paragraph was written in a more melancholy tone, I assure you that this was intentional. If you only think of winter as “The Night King” from the Game of Thrones TV show, then I understand why you fall into a seasonal depression come November. Every year I like to challenge folks to shift the paradigm and get outside into nature. While this sounds uncomfortable or even unpleasant, there are all kinds of cool things to see (no pun intended) and you will miss them if you lock yourself away inside your house. 

As winter sets in, maybe this is a great time to explore any of the 14 Darke County Parks you have yet to see. Most know of Shawnee Prairie Preserve, but other personal favorites of mine are Eidson Woods Preserve, Worth Family Nature Preserve, and Routzong Preserve to name a few. Don’t forget, Historic Bear’s Mill is also a Darke County Park and a great place to walk. When you finish your hike, pop into the Mill for some warm coffee and buy a gift for a loved one. Winter is also a great time to take up a new hobby like bird feeding. It's a great way to support local birds that did not migrate or have arrived from up north like the Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, woodpeckers, native sparrows, finches, Northern Cardinals and so many more. 

Ultimately, winter will become what you make it. If you allow your thoughts to paint it as an awful thing, that's all it will ever be. However, if you keep your thoughts positive and enjoy all that it has to offer, it will be over before you know it. Let me wrap up by rewriting my first paragraph and see if I can make winter something to enjoy:

The first signs that winter has arrived come in the form of intricate frost patterns climbing your kitchen window. They appear like snowflakes, each with a specific pattern, allowing them to form a perfect icy crust that captures light like a suncatcher in the early morning. While the warm colors of autumn have long fallen to the ground, we are reminded that there is still beauty to be found by the Northern Cardinal, whose magnificent red feathers starkly contrast with the fluffy white snow and evergreen needles. A comfortable hush falls on the northern hemisphere as native wildlife tuck in for a peaceful slumber. However, some of our forest residents can’t help but come out to play in the snow and visit with their neighbors from time to time, just like us! Perhaps on your next hike, you’ll be lucky enough to see a couple of deer, or maybe you’ll find tracks from an Eastern Cottontail when he set off to run some errands at first light. Listen to the crunch of the snow under your feet and watch your breath turn to ice crystals before disappearing into thin air. When you return from your hike, make some hot chocolate, grab a blanket, and curl up with your favorite book or movie. Make the most of the winter and cold, because when it is over, delicate spring flowers will bloom ever brighter and the summer sun will greet you with its familiar warm embrace.