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Home PageMONTAUK MILL CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY SEPT. 6
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., AUG. 21, 2008 -- Old-time crafters will demonstrate their skills of the late 19th century at the 112th Anniversary of Montauk Mill celebration Saturday, Sept. 6, at Montauk State Park near Salem. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the event is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Pioneer demonstrations will show how settlers lived and worked in the Montauk community, including the old-time skills of corn grinding, flintknapping, blacksmithing and other crafts. Old fashioned games and fun will be available for children throughout the day. Sack races and checkers will provide enjoyment for children and adults alike. Old-style and folk music will fill the day with traditional pioneer fun for visitors of all ages.
Timothy Hickman erected the large water-powered grist mill in 1896. The mill was capable of producing both "common" flour (whole wheat), and "patent" flour (white), commonly used in baking cakes and similar products. Corn was also ground to make cornmeal and livestock feed. The corn grinding stones consist of a unique porous flint rock. The heavy massive stones were imported from France and were specifically mined in the vicinity of La Fert-sour-Jauarre, a small town 36 miles east of Paris, France on the Marne River. The turbine that powered the mill was a 44-inch horizontal standard turbine manufactured by the James Leffel Co. and was purchased in 1882.
The Montauk Mill was designed by famous millwright William Jackson Furry and was constructed with native shortleaf pine and oak hardwoods harvested from the surrounding hills and countryside. The mill will be open for free tours throughout the day.
Montauk State Park is located 21 miles southwest of Salem on Hwy. 119. The park features a campground, motel, cabins, dining lodge, picnic areas and trails and is a popular spot to fish for rainbow trout.
For more information about the event, contact the park at 573-548-2201 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information about state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.
