This is Rock Mill. Yesterday, I was home with my family up in Canal Winchester and decided to do a little exploring with my big sister. She's a bit of a history buff, so I asked if she would take me to some historical places around our house so I could learn a little more about the area. We ventured to several places, but this was definitely my favorite.
Rock Mill is located in Fairfield County, just off of Lithopolis Road between Lithopolis and Lancaster. It is a huge piece of history for the county because it was the first grist mill built in Fairfield County, and was built to support the developing farming industry in the area. Built right on the Hocking River, the mill (as it stands now) was built in 1824 by a man named Christian Morehart. It stands at five stories tall, three stories stand above the bank, while two stories dip below the rim of the gorge. It's a very striking building, clearly full of history.
Because the mill is situated two stories below the grade, it has undergone a fair amount of damage because of multiple floods that occurred throughout the last 189 years. However, the county has put a lot of effort into restoring Rock Mill in the past decade. It now is restored to it's former glory and is accessible to the community to experience a little piece of Ohio history.
Fun facts:
-Rock Mill is the only place in Ohio where there is an original mill and an original covered bridge right next to each other!
-At one point in history, Rock Mill had the largest waterwheel in the state at 26 feet!
My home too<3
By Jillian Woltz on April 10, 2013