The Old Mill and the Covered Bridge

The water wheel on the mill in Carillon Park is an example of the “overshot” type of wheel, in the operation of which the water comes down over the wheel from above. As the water strikes the paddles or pockets, the wheel turns, and with it the mill machinery.
Until it was moved to Carillon Park, this Covered Bridge was in daily use southeast of Dayton. It was on the Feedwire Road and spanned little Sugar Creek about one mile east of Wilmington Pike. Neither the largest nor the smallest of Ohio bridges, this one is typical of the medium-sized structure. It is 55 feet long and 14 feet wide.
The old grist mill and the covered bridge are links with America’s past which, even today, have not passed entirely from the scene. Each was a part of the fabric of our young and growing nation and each made its own contribution to our progress.
By today’s standards, the old grist mill, driven by water-power and with everything except its grinding stones made of wood, is somewhat primitive. Yet even today, one must admire the fine craftsmanship with which the water wheels and the various wheels and shafts which transmitted the power were fashioned.
The old mills, and particularly the grist mill, marched with the pioneer who wrested the wilderness from savage beast and Indian. It is debatable whether the grist mill or the saw mill had priority in our productive history. But it is altogether likely that the grist mill came first in construction, with the meeting house a close second. The Bible and the plow, and sometimes the rifle, always advanced together. “To mill and to meeting” was an old-time admonition.
The covered bridge, battered by time and tempest, is bound up in history and geared to the march of events. Washington and his men clattered over many a covered bridge. The floors of scores of them resounded with the hoof-beats of the caravans that moved westward and southward to bring the invigorating breath of civilization to virgin areas. Those that survive are mute reminders of a unique craftsmanship and the sturdy qualities of our early builders.