Rare Photo Becks Mill Indiana Photograph by Randall Branham

Rare Photo Becks Mill Indiana

by Randall Branham

Canvas Print

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Framed Print

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Art Print

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Poster

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Metal Print

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Acrylic Print

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Wood Print

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Throw Pillow

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Fleece Blanket

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Duvet Cover

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Shower Curtain

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Bath Towel

$35

Jigsaw Puzzle

$40

Tote Bag

$24

Weekender Tote Bag

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Zip Pouch

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Portable Battery Charger

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Greeting Card

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Spiral Notebook

$13

iPhone Case

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Beach Towel

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Round Beach Towel

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Weekender Tote Bag

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Men's Clothing

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Women's Clothing

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Youth Clothing

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Toddler Clothing

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Baby Clothing

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Title

Rare Photo Becks Mill Indiana

Artist

Randall Branham

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

May 2004 caught Kay and I traveling around south central Indiana photographing the country side when we accidentally ran across this old mill. Becks mill is now completely restored by a billionaire and friends of Becks Mill of Indiana, Following are excerpts from their research.
Beck's Mill's Past...

Before Beck's Mill was settled by the Becks, it was the site of the largest Delaware Indian village in Washington County. There was about a 15 acre clearing of trees around the spring that the Becks later used for their grain mill. (Friends of Beck's Mill has 14 of those acres.)

There were a number of Indian Trails in Washington County that lead to Beck's Mill, from all directions. Some of the roads in the area are based on those trails because the Indians tended to take the shortest/easiest routes. There was also an Indian grave yard somewhere in the clearing where the Beck's grew their first corn crop in 1808.

Once the Indians had left, the area of Beck's Mill became a good place for an early settler to build a cabin. The spring and the clearing meant they could grow some corn the first year they settled.

On December 25th, 1807, George Beck and his two sons John and George Jr, crossed the Ohio river following the Buffalo Trace into the Indiana Territory looking for a new home. They left the rest of the family in Bear Grass Kentucky, now known as Louisville.

On their second day of travel they left the Buffalo Trace and went north where they found a location to their liking and made a temporary brush shelter under a big elm tree in what is now Pierce Township.

In January of 1808 the two boys were out hunting in Howard Township when the brother George found the spring that would later feed Beck's Mill, Cave Spring. They also found Organ Spring. They told their father, he inspected it and promptly decided to make Cave Spring their permanent home.

In the Spring of 1808 they built a one room cabin there and began making plans for a mill. After the cabin had been made comfortable, old George went to work on building the mill while his sons worked at hunting and trapping. In the fall of 1808, old George Beck went to Louisville to get a set of milling stones, trading them for furs his boys had gotten hunting and trapping.

Once the mill was started it ran 24 hours a day with George and the boys taking turns running it. People would travel for hours to get to Beck's Mill, and then have to wait for 2 or 3 days to get their turn. Before Beck's Mill was started people had to travel all the way to Louisville Kentucky to get flour or salt. At one time, Beck's Mill was believed, and may have been, the most western mill in the Indiana Territory. When Beck's Mill was first built, there were no roads in the Indiana Territory west of it because roads had been built just to get to Beck's Mill. Vincennes University was founded in 1806 and the Buffalo Trace was still just a path that was sometimes no wider than 18 inches. Times were hard back then and water meant everything especially a spring that flows all year. This is a rendition of one of my photos taken back in may 04.