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)