You'll Find Caves, an Astronaut, and Pioneers at Spring Mill
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Volume 17, Number 32 Thursday, August 16, 2001 You’ll Find Caves, an Astronaut, and Pioneers at Spring Mill by Paula McHugh Here are ten good reasons to visit Spring Mill State Park if you are plan- ning to head toward the southern part of the state: One, a restored pioneer village; two, caves to explore by foot or by boat; three, horseback riding, and four, hik- ing through miles of trails. Five, wind- ing through virgin forest; six, picnick- ing in a choice of groves; seven, camping with modern conveniences; eight, vis- iting the Grissom Memorial; nine, swimming and splashing in an Olympic- sized pool; and ten, rocking away a lazy summer afternoon at the Inn. There is also reason # 11 that you’re sure to like: the $3 gate admission for The 3-story gristmill for which Spring Mill is named. The state park has restored a pioneer village all of the above. Make that $5 for out- that was founded here in the early 1800’s, before Indiana was granted statehood. of-staters. Call it icing on the cake when you visit this fun family-oriented destination leads only to this site. It’s free because the state des- near Mitchell, about 40 minutes south of Bloomington. ignated, after his tragic death, that a memorial to the For starters, there’s the Virgil I. Grissom Memorial, Mitchell astronaut be constructed. More about Gus located near the entrance gate. But if you are just inter- Grissom can be found in another Beacher article. ested in the astronaut’s history, you don’t have to pay gate admission, because there is an access road that Spring Mill Continued on Page 2 At the entrance to the popular Pioneer Village area, visitors are asked to Some of the hand-hewn log structures in the village are original to the imagine being back in an earlier era. site, while others were transported here from nearby locales. Page 2 August 16, 2001 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/Beacher/ Published and Printed by THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $26 6 months $14 3 months $8 1 month $3 Spring Mill Continued from Page 1 Okay. We’ve handed over our three bucks and are headed first to Spring Mill’s Pioneer Village, undeniably the park’s most popular attraction. It happens to be a hot morning. The humidity is ris- ing. Thankfully, the sun is clouded over. Crowds are few, but costumed village folk already have begun their day’s “chores” in many of the 22 hewn log build- ings on site. The early1800’s structures, some original to the site and restored, others moved here from nearby locations, surround the park’s focal point for which it is named. The 3-story gristmill and wooden flume dominate the landscape. The village’s original gristmill, much smaller, gave the little community its start in 1814. Three years and another owner later, the 3-story mill was constructed. The imposing 60-feet long, 50 feet high and 43 feet wide structure was restored in 1927. The mill’s history relates how its ownership changed hands several times. Two owners, the The flume carries water from the Hamer’s Cave area to the mill. In the 1890’s, Bullitts and then the Montgomery’s, added a mill Lehigh Cement bought the property for use of the springs. They were not inter- ested in the village, and it was abandoned soon after Lehigh’s purchase. office, residences, tavern, distillery, saw mill, post office, general store and apothecary. The Hamer family owned the village next, retaining deed 50 years, and sold it to its final owner, Jonathon Turley. Turley start- ed a lime burning business and commercial brandy and applejack distillery, but died a few years after acquiring the village. The Lehigh Cement Company bought the prop- erty from Turley in 1892, but they were only interested in the water supply. The village was abandoned at that point. This Inn and Tavern is original to the village. The water wheel not only ground corn, it provided the means The proprietors’ name was Montgomery. to run the adjacent sawmill. August 16, 2001 Page 3 Open ‘til 7 p.m. Evenings www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel CRABTREE & EVELYN® Whether treating yourself or another, our gifts are designed always to surprise and delight Harold Deckard serves as vol- unteer miller, grinding corn on the hour in the gristmill. Bags are sold for $1.00. The ground corn meal was sold at one time in cloth bags. Now you get your corn in paper bags. Hatboxes and Gift Cubes $25 - $40 The springhouse, below, served the pioneers as refrig- Very Vanilla Gardeners Hand erators serve us, except that Gift Box Care Gift they couldn’t make ice cubes! $28 $30 Bath Soap Sampler $32 Summer Tent Sale Clearance BARGAINS up to 75% off Last 40-50% off Sale Price Meet Us For Lunch And A Style Show THURSDAY, AUGUST 16 - ROSKOE’S, LAPORTE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22 - HANNAH’S, NEW BUFFALO 409 Alexander Street LaPorte, IN 326-8602 409On Alexander Hwy 35 - 5 Street Blocks LaPorte,South of LincolnwayIN 326-8602 On Hwy 35Turn - 5 Right Blocks on SouthAlexander of Lincolnway Monday - FridayTurn Right 9:30 toon 7 Alexander Saturday 9:30 to 5 Monday-Friday 10 to 6 Saturday 9:30 to 5 Spring Mill Continued on Page 4 Page 4 August 16, 2001 Spring Mill Continued from Page 3 In the early 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps was put to work restoring the abandoned build- ings. The state park came into being after acquiring various tracts of land—from Indiana University and Lawrence County, from Lehigh Cement, and from Eliza Turley—to make up its expanse of more than 540 acres. One of the park’s volunteers, Harold Deckard, is miller on duty this morning, grinding corn hourly with the five-foot grindstone set within gears. Bags of the freshly ground cornmeal sell for $1, and that’s about as commercial as it gets in the village. Across the mill- race, Phyllis Becraft is in the Munson House and Leather Shop describing the leather worker’s trade. Cobbler, we learn, is a derogatory description for a shoemak- er, one that more precisely means screw-up. Phyllis says that the pioneers’ shoes had no designated left or right foot. Instead, they made it a habit to alter- In the apothecary shop, assorted dried herbs are sealed in jars. Castor nate the shoes on the opposite foot so that the leather oil, cod liver oil, and vegetation found in the area served pioneers’ ail- ments. Most people in the village died young, averaging 39 years. would wear longer. Pioneer Village offers an exceptional educational opportunity for all ages. Day campers are taking in the information this particular day. For example, during their visit to the apothecary, they groan when they read about bloodletting practices of an earlier age. On the upper two floors of the gristmill, displays show life when outhouses were the norm, school- houses were one-room, and clothes were hand-made. Unfortunately, the steep stairs in the gristmill and step- ups in some of the other log buildings make it inac- cessible for wheelchairs. One of the highlights of the park is the guided boat tour into Twin Caves. The steady, year ‘round 52 degrees is a welcome relief from the steamy summer day. For $3, the park guide steers a group of eight at The upper floors of the mill contain historic displays of pioneer life at Spring Mill. From the 3rd floor, a view of the village owner’s former resi- dence. The southern-style front porches were unique for that time period. Describing the process of distilling spirits would take a book. An old Phyllis Becraft explains the work of the village leather worker in a copper still sits in the foreground; in the background, a restored shop and residence brought in from another locale. wooden barrel used in fermentation. August 16, 2001 Page 5 a time into the dark mouth of what becomes dark and narrow limestone walls. Below, rare white blind fish and crayfish, orange salamanders, and a sleepy brown bat or two reluctantly reveal themselves in the glow of a flashlight. Our guide, Shannon, points out the soda straw and drapery formations created by the dripping water. Drops of liquid fall on riders’ heads, while Shannon assures us that those “cave kisses” mean good luck. Some fifty feet into the cave, she tells us to turn off our flashlights. “Have you ever experienced TOTAL darkness?” No one answers. “Promise me that you won’t scream. If you are really uncomfortable, let me know and I’ll turn the boat lights back on right away.” Out go our flashlights. So this is TOTAL dark- ness. Can’t remember ever “seeing” this before. The Tour a cave by foot or by boat. At Twin Caves, a boat waits to take experience is worth the $3, believe me. adventurers into the cool underground passage. Spring Mill Continued on Page 6 Shannon, our guide, uses her gloved hands to guide our boat into the dark cave.