Indian Mill photograph   Save
Harry Kinley Collection
Description: Dated ca. 1910, this photograph shows Indian Mill in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, with three people standing by a boats docked along the water. After the War of 1812, members of the Wyandotte Tribe and a group of African Americans, comprised of both free and freedom seekers, settled near modern day Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Because these two communities lived close to each other and worked together, many of the Wyandottes accepted Christianity and adopted the customs of their African American neighbors, which resulted in limited perks from the federal government, including money to build a mill. In 1820, a flour mill and sawmill were both constructed on the banks of the Sandusky River which allowed the Wyandottes and African Americans in the area to process their harvests and turn logs into timber to build their homes. However, under pressure from many white settlers who lived in the area surrounding the Wyandotte reservation, the federal government decided to permanently move the Wyandottes out of Ohio. Several years later, the last of the Wyandottes left the area. The mills fell into disrepair and were abandoned. In 1861, the flour mill was rebuilt on the present site by Lewis Rummel, who used three water-powered turbines made by The James Leffel & Co. of Springfield, Ohio, in his new mill. The mill has been owned by various people over the years and was purchased by the Ohio History Connection in 1968. Indian Mill is managed locally by the Wyandot County Archaeological & Historical Socie View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05389
Subjects: Mills and mill-work -- Ohio; Wyandot Indians -- History; African American Ohioans; American Indians in Ohio; Historical Museums -- Ohio
Places: Upper Sandusky (Ohio); Wyandot County (Ohio)