Description: Caption reads: "Mill and covered bridge. Unable to give county." This could be the Beaver's Mill & Old Covered Bridge in Highland County, on Rocky Fork Creek. In the 1800's and the early 1900's, Highland County was home to at least six different water powered mills along the Rocky Fork, which were important centers in rural life for grinding flour, cutting lumber, carding wool, and weaving blankets. The 122 foot long truss Beaver Mill covered bridge was built in 1872 and torn down in 1955 for a new road project. Ohio has a large number of covered bridges, falling second only to Pennsylvania in quantity. Within the state of Ohio, Fairfield County and Ashtabula County lead the state in containing the most original covered bridges. Most covered bridges in the U.S. were built between 1825 and 1875, with the first Ohio covered bridge built in 1829 in Eaton in Preble County. Bridges were covered to protect the structural wooden tresses from the elements, giving the bridges a longer life span of approximately 100 years as opposed to 20 years for an uncovered bridge. At one point in time, Ohio had approximately 3,500 covered bridges, but that number has diminished to approximately 138 covered bridges today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F17_034_001
Subjects: Water mills--Ohio--History; Covered bridges--Ohio
Places: Ohio
 

Description: This mill was on the Venice mill-race of Erie County, Ohio. A mill-race is an artificial channel that was created to power mills. Many different types of mills were set up along the Venice mill-race. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F01A_023_1
Subjects: Water mills; Venice (Ohio); Erie County (Ohio)--History; Water-supply--Ohio--Erie County--Maps
Places: Venice (Ohio); Erie County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated March 25, 1938, this photograph shows Bear's Mill in Darke County, Ohio. The photograph's caption reads "Bear's Mill on Greenville Creek. Nearly 100 years old, this mill stands within a few feet of the site where Major Adams built the first grist mill in Darke County." The modern Bear's Mill was built in 1849 by Gabriel Baer and still runs to this day on the water generated by the dam over Greenville Creek. The hand hewn timber framework is the original, but the American Black Walnut siding was replaced in 2001. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F07_033_1
Subjects: Water mills; Winter; Natural resources; Ohio Federal Writers' Project; Works Progress Administration
Places: Greenville (Ohio); Darke County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated March 25, 1938, this photograph shows three men in coats and hats standing on the edge of Bear's Mill in Greenville, Ohio. The water rights and land around the mill were granted to Major George Adams in 1824 by President James Monroe. The modern Bear's Mill was built in 1849 by Gabriel Baer and still runs to this day on the water generated by the dam over Greenville Creek. The hand hewn timber framework is the original, but the American Black Walnut siding was replaced in 2001. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The photograph's caption reads "Darke Co., Greenville, O., Mar. 25, 1938. Dam at Beard's Mill on Greenville Creek. Nearly 100 years old, on site where Major Adams built the first mill in Darke County." This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F07_029_1
Subjects: Water mills; Winter; Natural resources; Ohio Federal Writers' Project; Works Progress Administration
Places: Greenville (Ohio); Darke County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows Beaver's Mill and a covered bridge near Hillsboro, Ohio, in Highland County. The photograph's caption reads "Beaver's Mill & Old Covered Bridge. Highland Co. a few miles from Hillsboro O. Rocky Fork Creek." In the 1800s and early 1900s, Highland County was home to at least six different water-powered mills along the Rocky Fork and were important centers in rural life for grinding flour, cutting lumber, carding wool, and weaving blankets. The 122 foot long truss Beaver Mill covered bridge was built in 1872 and torn down in 1955 for a new road project. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F17_047_001
Subjects: Water mills; Covered bridges--Ohio; Hillsboro (Ohio)--History; Mills and mill-work--United States
Places: Hillsboro (Ohio); Highland County (Ohio)
 

Description: This mill was on the Venice mill-race of Erie County, Ohio. A mill-race is an artificial channel that was created to power mills. Many different types of mills were set up along the Venice mill-race. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F01A_009_1
Subjects: Erie County (Ohio); Water mills--Ohio--History; Venice (Ohio)
Places: Venice (Ohio); Erie County (Ohio)