Corps Restores and Preserves History of Mill Springs Mill

This is an old film about the restoration of Mill Springs Mill and the gristmill's preservation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District acquired "Diamond Roller Mill" from Thomas Roberts in 1949 when the Corps purchased land as part of the creation of Lake Cumberland on the Cumberland River. The mill had been in operation since around 1817.
In 1963 the Monticello Woman's Club and other civic organizations, with aid from the Kentucky Department of Highways, reactivated the mill. In 1973 the mill was designated as a National Historic Site. In 1976, a major restoration to the structure and grounds was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Traditional tools and skills were used to render the Mill as close to the original work as possible. The use of mortar was forgone to make the restorations as close to the original millwrights, Andrew Denney, as possible. Old fashioned cut nails and even the paint colors were carefully duplicated. Mill Springs is now on the National Register of Battlefields and is one of 25 Civil War battlefields that is included on a special Endangered Battlefield list.
In 1908, the 28-foot cedar wheel was replaced by a steel water wheel. Still in use the wheel is one of the largest overshot water wheels in the world. The wheel has a diameter of 40 feet, 10 inches, and a breast of three feet. Powered by 13 natural springs located beside the mill, it is thought to be one of the largest of it's kind in the world.