Belpre in Washington County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Devol's Floating Mill
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 30, 2009
1. Devol's Floating Mill Marker
Inscription.
Devol's Floating Mill. . In 1791, Captain Jonathan Devol, upon a proposal from Griffin Greene, designed and built a floating grain mill, which was erected on two boats and anchored within several yards of the Ohio River shore near this marker. Oak planks fastened the boats together and formed a deck, upon which sat a frame building that enclosed the mill's running gears and millstones. The mill's position in a rapid portion of the river and its proximity to Farmer's Castle, a fortification of thirteen blockhouses, built by local farmers at the beginning of the Indian Wars, shielded it from Indian raids. The river's current revolved the wheel of the mill, and depending on the strength of the current, between twenty-five and fifty bushels of grain were processed in twenty-four hours. Devol's floating mill replaced the hand mill, which had become too laborious to operate. The mill supplied meal to the garrison at Farmer's Castle and other settlers along the Ohio River for a distance of nearly thirty miles.
In 1791, Captain Jonathan Devol, upon a proposal from Griffin Greene, designed and built a floating grain mill, which was erected on two boats and anchored within several yards of the Ohio River shore near this marker. Oak planks fastened the boats together and formed a deck, upon which sat a frame building that enclosed the mill's running gears and millstones. The mill's position in a rapid portion of the river and its proximity to Farmer's Castle, a fortification of thirteen blockhouses, built by local farmers at the beginning of the Indian Wars, shielded it from Indian raids. The river's current revolved the wheel of the mill, and depending on the strength of the current, between twenty-five and fifty bushels of grain were processed in twenty-four hours. Devol's floating mill replaced the hand mill, which had become too laborious to operate. The mill supplied meal to the garrison at Farmer's Castle and other settlers along the Ohio River for a distance of nearly thirty miles.
Erected 2002 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Rotary Club of Belpre, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 7-84.)
Location. 39° 16.429′ N, 81° 35.598′ W. Marker is in Belpre, Ohio, in Washington County. Marker is on Blennerhassett Avenue, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in Civitan Park, about 150 feet southwest of the bandstand gazebo. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2470 Blennerhassett Avenue, Belpre OH 45714, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,229 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
