Beck's Mill - Restoration

Restoration

Friends of Beck's Mill, a nonprofit organization, was given the 14 acres (57,000 m2) and building by Donald & Joyce Andersen (Joyce being a direct descendant of the George Beck family). This gift was the results of the efforts and negotiation of Jack Mahuron of Salem, with the hope that the mill could be saved, and maybe even become operational as the centerpiece of a local park. Mahuron had worked on getting the restoration started for several years. In June 2006, a member of the Friends, won a $1,000 door prize from the Washington County Community Foundation, an annual giveaway for use of community projects, and chose to use the $1,000 to start an Endowment for the mill. The fund created a permanent endowment to market and operate the mill.

John Hawkins, an architect from Jeffersonville, Indiana, calculated that $600,000 would be required to restore the mill, with additional funds needed to reopen it. Donald and Joyce Andersen has since offered the use of approximately over 70 acres (280,000 m2) for use as trails and recreation. 3 acres (12,000 m2) across the road from the mill are used for parking at no cost to the Friends of Beck's Mill. William and Gayle Cook, billionaire philanthropists, made a large donation of approximately $1,200,000.00 in 2007 to begin the restoration process. Jack Mahuron had served on the Board of Advisers of IU Southeast with Bill Cook and knew that he and Gayle were interested in Beck's Mill. They had visited it several times over the years. Jack contacted him at Bloomington asking him to assist with the restoration. He graciously declined because he was busy with the restoration of French Lick and West Baden Hotels. A few months later, however, on March 1, 2007, he sent his Architect George Ridgway and his contractor Joe Pritchett of Pritchett Brothers, to a meeting of the Friends, it was announced that billionaire Bill and Gayle Cook would fund the restoration if the Friends would accept the offer.

Restoration of the mill began in earnest in May 2007 with Tracy Wells as foreman of the project for Pritchett Brothers. The first task was to remove the old equipment, tools, and the remaining features of the general store and fabric-making, including two carding machines. The old turbines were cleaned, and the stone foundation was repaired by lifting the mill from its moorings. In September 2007 the outside work was stopped for the year. The mill workings, currently held in storage at Salem, were re-installed in the spring 2008. A grand opening of the mill is planned for the fall of 2008, in time for the 200th anniversary of the first Beck's Mill.

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce gave their 2007 Citizen of the Year award to the Friends, due to the restoration of the mill. There is some fear that restoration of the mill by using cave water may affect the ecology of the cave, in particular its blind fish. Beck's Mill is set to be reopened for the public on September 20, 2008, to coincide with the Old Settler's Days festival in Salem.

Upon completion of the restoration, Jack Mahuron, the primary supporter and fund raiser for the restoration and a member of the Hoosier Hikers Council of Martinsville, Indiana, asked the group to come in and build walking trails. Suzanne Mittenthal, executive Director of the group brought in several of the members for the work. Over a three-year period and on weekends the hikers built over three mile of trails for the public to use and enjoy the natural beauty of the park.

The restoration of a 200 year old log cabin has also been in progress on the hill in back of the Mill. The cabin was completed by member Raymond Lee in the fall of 2011, with most of the funds for the cabin restoration coming from the Paul Ogle Foundation of Jeffersonville.

In the summer of 2012, the 79 acres adjoining the mill property where the trails are located came up for sale available only to the Friends of Beck's Mill. Jack Mahuron approached Mrs Bill(Gayle)Cook about the property. She and her son Carl, with wife Marcy graciously gave us the funds for purchase of the property. Don & Joyce Andersen who owned the 79 acres, gave us aproximately 4 acres across the road from the Mill. This property is used for parking for the mill. This gives the Mill owners approximately 97 acres more or less.The Andersen's also gave the Friends permission to use a small parcle of their property to start a muzzle rifle range.