Terry and Julie Clark, Friends of Bear’s Mill and Darke County Parks were honored by Fort GreeneVille Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, Ohio House of Representatives and National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in recognition of the Mill’s 175th anniversary.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
Terry Clark received the Historic Preservation Medal from the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
GREENVILLE — Fort GreeneVille Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was able to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Bear’s Mill on Sunday by presenting national awards to many of the individuals and groups responsible for the preservation of the Mill.
The Bear’s Mill site was established 200 years ago when the water rights were granted to Major George Adams under a Presidential Deed from James Monroe. A decade after the water rights were given, the property became a sawmill and corn cracker mill.
Gabriel Baer purchased the water-powered mill in 1849 while it was under construction, which is the Mill that is still operational today. It is one of fewer than a handful of grist mills in Ohio that are primarily water-powered and are still operational. According to the website Old Mills Now, in the early 1800s there were over 1,800 mills in operation.
Bear’s Mill’s restoration began in 1979 when Terry and Julie Clark purchased the mill. For their efforts, DAR recognized the husband-and-wife team for their dedication to preservation.
Terry was presented with the national Historical Preservation Medal. According to Debbie Nisonger, “This is the most prestigious award the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution presents to an individual who has done extraordinary volunteer work through historic preservation over a prolonged period of time.” She said that fewer than 30 of these awards are presented each year throughout the United States. “We appreciate his dedication as a Master Miller in sharing his knowledge and expertise in the operation of one of the last remaining grist mills in Ohio with those that visit,” she said.
Julie was presented with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award for her many years of devotion and insight to the preservation of Bear’s Mill and making it what it is today.
The Clarks explained why they purchased Bear’s Mill in 1979. Terry said they saw a For Sale sign on the building as they drove by and learned from a newspaper article there had been some discussion with an amusement park to disassemble and then reassemble the Mill at the amusement park. He said they immediately put a contract on the mill and it was accepted. Julie said they knew it needed it to be preserved as soon as they saw it. “We knew that we wanted to buy it, and we knew that we wanted to preserve it. We didn’t have any idea before we went in that it was a functioning mill. We were interested in the structure and what we could do with the structure,” said Julie.
One of the first things the couple did when they purchased the mill was to clean it out. Unfortunately, the person they purchased the mill from died before they could learn much about the mill. “Through trial and error and lots of experimentation, we figured out how to run it,” said Julie.
“We love what’s happening now. We really feel good about the mill’s future, being in the (Darke County) Parks’ hands. They have the resources and are a really nice group of people that care about it,” Julie added.
Also recognized by DAR were the Friends of Bear’s Mill and the Darke County Parks. The Friends of Bear’s Mill received the DAR Historic Preservation Recognition Award, and the Parks received the DAR Excellence in Historic Preservation Award.
Former State Representative Jim Buchy was on-hand to represent current State Representative Angie King in presenting commendations to each individual and group from the Ohio House of Representatives. “A lot of times we don’t know what we have in Darke County. One of the premier shining stars of Darke County is Bear’s Mill, from not only a historical perspective but from a teaching perspective. People do not know the significance of Bear’s Mill. Whenever I see Terry and Julie, I see 47 years of a labor of love. That’s what they’ve done to ensure that we’re here to celebrate number 175,” said Buchy.
Buchy also praised Fort GreeneVille DAR for the work they do in honoring the local community. He believes they are the number one chapter in the nation and pointed out they have received numerous national awards for the work they do.
To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
