This historic grist mill in Washington County, seven miles southwest of Salem, was built in 1864. One year later, John Hunt Morgan demanded ransom, to spare from a firey destruction, of every Washington County mill.

The site of the mill, in a rocky ravine surrounded by sycamores and maples and at 946 feet above sea level, is one of the highest elevations in Indiana.

When George Beck arrived from North Carolina and Kentucky respectively, with his sons in 1807, the site was an Indian burial ground of the nearby dwelling Shawnee and Delaware tribes. Having carved-out an area for a rude dwelling, he brought the rest of the family from Kentucky. Water impoundment above the rear of the mill.

Beck developed the second largest spring in Indiana, which happened to pour out from the mouth of the mile-long cave in the bluff behind the mill site, to provide water power for his mill, an 11' x 11' log and stone mill.

The top of the overshot wheel of the third & current mill. Water is supplied via a metal penstock from the dam with vertical, smaller pipe rising from the penstock to the top of the wheel to feed the header box. The penstock continues downfill to a distribution box, where some flow can be diverted back to Mill Creek, the rest can power a turbine to also provide power for grinding.

A turbine similar to the one in use, this did power the mechanism at one time. The first mill used wooden troughs from the dam to reach the top of the overshot waterwheel. A second larger, frame mill replaced the first mill in 1825, and contained a carding machine for wool in 1828.

The current/third mill on this site, most active from 1864-1890, was the only one of two-story construction, including furniture manufacturing. It ran, many times 24 hours a day, using a turbine/waterwheel combination to turn the grindstones. A settlement eventually ensued since many times farmers had to wait near the mill for three days before their grain was ground. Inns, stores, and other necessary contrivances naturally sprang up to accommodate those needs.

The modern roller mills of the 1880's and forward, soon surpassed the capability of smaller gristmills. This combined with urban development made transporting to and from rural mills more costly, thereby causing Beck's Mill to stop operating in 1914.

The carding machine is on the second floor of the 1864 Beck's Mill. Perhaps the same machine that was introduced into the 1825/second mill in 1828.

This spinning wheel is also located on the second floor of the mill.

A weavers loom on the second floor of the mill. See more information on the "Friends of Beck's Mill" website and also this website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck's_Mill

Copy of vintage photo on display inside the mill.See more information on the "Friends od Beck's Mill" website above the photos and also this website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck's_Mill

Plaque dedicated to the builders of the original 1808 Beck's Mill, George Sr. and Betsy Beck and their seven children.

In 1963, a tornado touched down on the property, killing two people. The mill is operated sporadicly today by volunteers of "The Friends of Beck's Mill". GPS: 38D 32.20'N, 86D 9.29'W ele 679'/207 meters Bedford Quadrangle