The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-06-24
Pioneer Life No. 1 8.
BY DAVIS MACKLEY.

that [ was boy, and at the mill and
meeting house, and everything was
inst the same as it was fifty-five years
aoo. There was old Dan "Fortner,
short, plump and witty, in the little
LOG shantv, back of the mill, at the
foot Of the hill. He was amusing the
bows by telling them Irish jokes, and
parching corn for them in an old
round-bottomed skillet, with the han
die broken out.
Faulkner's mill was built ten years
before | was born, and | was perhaps
ten wears old before | went to the
mill as our residence in Jefferson
Township was four miles from the
mill: so that the mill bad been built
twenty years before | can remember
it.
The mill dam was built of logs
notched down, and placed directly
across the stream, and logs running
mn the stream. and this filled In with
stones. There was food-gate which
could be raised with lever, to let the
water into the penstock. This was
a SQUARE box, some six feet square, and
the water in it was as high as 1t was
raised by the dam-some five feet
Immediately under the penstock was
the water wheel, something like the
great Turbine wheels made by James
Leffel & Co., of Springfield; but II
was made of wood. The wheel had
an opening in the top. around the
shaft. into which the water was forced
by the weight of the water IN the pen
stock, and the water was forced
out through the buckets IN the wheel
These were curved openings from the
shaft in the center Of the wheel, to Its
outer edge. The water striking these
curves, forced the wheel to turn III the
| onposite direction. When the flood
cate was raised, and the water filled
the penstock, the wheel began to turn
The water in the penstock was great
" aeitated. and boiled and surged and
foamed, as it was passing through the
wb. 81 at the bottom. The shaft al
the bottom Of which WAS the wattl
wheel. ran up to the frame on which
the mill>toaes we're placed. Near the
| top of this shaft was "a wheel, with
cogs in the edge. These cogs worked
in the trundlehead, small wheel or
the spindle. At the top of this spin
die was the top milestone, or runner
the spindle running through the eye
of the bedstone. The spindle at the
lower end went into a socket which
was placed in timber which could be
raised or lowered by lever, and mea
made coarser or finer, as desired. This
lever was held in place by leather
strap, with weight to its end.
The corn was poured into the hop
per, which was the upper portion OF
the n i'll. At the bottom of the hop
per was an opening which let the corn
into the shoe, and from the front end
of which the corn fell into the eye OF
the runner, or top stone. The shoe
was kept agitated and shaken by a
piece on top of the spindle, which
kept striking the side Of the shoe
The end of the shoe was raised OF
lowered by leather strap, and the
feed thus regulated.
The stones had to be picked fire.
quently. This was done with picks
made of the very hardest steel. There
was no trouble in getting blacksmith
ing done, as within half mile lived
three first class blacksmiths' old John
"Shaver" (Shaffer) and bis sons Seth
and Michael. Seth Shafer married
Peggy Faulkner, daughter of old
Daniel Faulkner.
This mill would grind five or six
bushels Of corn in day.
have no idea when the first boiling
cloth was introduced in this county,
or when wheat was first ground and
bolted. The first | ever saw in this
county was at my uncle's horse mill,
built in 1882, quarter of a mile west
Of Portland. There were, perhaps,
some of the older horse mills that
ground wheat and bolted the flour
before that date.
In my dream [ saw the old Baptist
meeting house as | remember it the
last time | attended meeting there, in
the fall Of the year 1882. It was on
the high hill, short distance from
the mill. Itwas surrounded by woods,
in which the people hitched their
horses. A few steps west of the house
the ground was little lower, then
gradually began to rise. Here was
the graveyard. There were no monu-
ments or gravestones. When a person
was buried rail pen was built over
the grave, and the top Of the pen was
covered with rails.
From the meeting house on the
south east side was a very steep hill,
down towards the creek, below the
mill. Here was spring of clear, cold
limestone water pouring out of the
hillside. A clean gourd was kept at
this spring, for the accommodation of
those who attended the meetings Q|
will speak Of gourds hereafter)
After the Baptists had scattered to
other localities, as I shall hereafter
stato tho ralioiouS intarest still con-