Hoover Grist Mill, established 1840

The Hoover Mill is located at the southern border of Union Township, adjacent to the Miami-Montgomery County Line Road on Rt. 48 (between West Milton and Union). Although it is located on privately owned property, it was the beneficiary of a public campaign to repair and restore it to working order.

The following text was excerpted from the mill rededication program, June 9, 1996.

In 1840, Noah Hoover, one of the first Quaker settlers in Union Township, built the mill. He was a great-uncle of the thirty-first president of the United States, Herbert Hoover. Noah also built the two-story [brick house], a very substantial one, that stands at the end of the mill lane.

In 1878, Noah's son, Jason, built a new mill, replacing the old one. A smaller building was built in 1941 (the present one) and restorations have been made in 1976 and 1996. All rebuilding has been at the exact location of the original grist-mill.

The water wheel has not been in operation for 12 years. Serious deterioration had taken place. The old babbitt bearings had worn completely through, over half of the wheel needed replacing, and the stone underlayment was sinking at one corner of the building and under the wheel shaft.

Restoration of the waterwheel was made possible by donations and labor contributed by VFW Post 8211, American Legion Post 487, Jack Farmer and the Theis family, upon whose property the mill is located. 

SOURCES:
Jack Dexter, Hoover Grist Mill: Dedication of the Water-Wheel, Sunday, June 9, 1996 (program)