ASHTABULA COUNTY'S FIRST GRIST MILL
By Mrs. Alice Bliss

This old photo shows the grist mill that once stood at Mechanicsville. 
The mill stood near the ancient Indian crossing which was also used by the French

The mill and dam at Mechanicsville, which was just south of the covered bridge, is reported to be the oldest grist mill in the County.

     Today's mill and covered bridge were at one time an important part of life in Mechanicsville.  One picture shows the old mill and its dam at Mechanicsville which was just south of the covered bridge and stood near the ancient Indian Crossing which was used by the French and Indians as a portage and was mapped on early French maps of 17-40 of Grand River.
     THIS WAS THE first grist mill in the County according to Williams' Brothers' 1878 History, which states that it was owned by Ambrose Humphrey.  Nearby, the first saw mill in the County was erected by Judge Austin.  It is also told that the year previous to the erection of the grist mill, the people of Austinburg became accustomed to taking their grist to Newburg by way of Harpersfield, the landing on the river was at Madison and then overland to the waterfall and flour mill.
     After the season a substitute mill was erected at Harpersfield.  A crude machine, run by horse power, consisting of a single pair of buhrs, which with pinion and lever could be turned by a horse.
     WHEN FLOUR was needed a boy was mounted on a horse and a bag of grain laid across the horses back and they were started to the mill and the same horse was used for propelling the mill, the boy turning miller for the time.  When the grist was done, without paying any toll, the whole was taken back to the family.
     These buhrs were afterwards bought by Ambrose Humphrey and put into the mill at Mechanicsville serving long in grinding grain in that community.  Later Ambrose deeded the mill site to Judge Austin and afterwards it became a gift to the Manual Labor School.
The 154 foot Mechanicsville covered bridge is the longest single span in the county and only bridge of its type.

This webpage has been created by Sharon Wick 2004
for Conneaut History & Genealogy