"The people went and gathered it and ground it in mills."

"The people went and gathered it and ground it in mills.". Numbers 11:8. In the days before cars and supermarkets, before modern methods of manufacture were developed, the settlers who carved a living out of the Kentucky wilderness worked hard to provide the basic necessities of life. One of the most important mechanical devices used by early Kentucky families fo make life a little easier was the mill. , At a time when steam engines arid electricity were still in the future, mills harnessed the natural power of moving water. Though mills were built for many purposes, perhaps most common were the grist mills, which ground grain for bread and feed for animals. Grain milling is one of the oldest industries in the history of mankind. , Once there were hundreds of mills scattered along streams and rivers throughout Kentucky Now most are gone. The McHargue Mill, located just ahead of you on the Little Laurel River, was constructed by the WPA program in 1938-39. It is typical of a pioneer Kentucky mill and contains parts of a mill once operated by the McHargue family on Robinson Creek, 10 miles south of here. Included are a set of millstones brought into Kentucky over the famous Wilderness Road in 1805.