YOUNGSTOWN: A historic landmark in Northeast Ohio is heading back to work.
The main wooden beam has been replaced at Mill Creek Park’s Lanterman’s Mill to get it back in working order.
Mill Creek MetroParks development and marketing director Linda Kostka says the upgrade will allow the mill to resume grinding corn, wheat and buckwheat.
She tells the Youngstown Vindicator that without the water wheel turning the grindstone, there was a gap in the experience of 19th century history and culture. The grinding had stopped in January.
The white-oak beam supports the four-ton wheel that powers the mill. It was hand-cut by the park forestry crew using steam-powered antique machinery.
The beam weighs 540 pounds and is more than 6 feet long, 16 inches wide and 16 inches high.
“From an educational standpoint, it’s really important, especially for school groups, that they see the wheel turning, because it gives them a concrete, visual example of how things were done,” said Carol Vigorito, the park’s recreation and education manager.
Built in 1845 and 1846, the mill is the third one built at Lanterman’s Falls on Mill Creek.
Lanterman’s Mill closed in 1888, and the park bought it four years later, using it as a ballroom, concession stand, bathhouse for swimmers and winter boat-storage facility.
Lanterman’s Mill was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.