Grist mill corn sacks

"The village of Bridgeton had its beginnings with the building of a sawmill on the banks of Big Raccoon creek . . .  about 1823. Later a buhrstone was added for grinding corn and then wheat." So writes Marilyn Mitchell Payton, the historian of a special Indiana town. The mill in question is the oldest continually operating mill in Indiana and has been open for 180 years. The current owners, Mike and Karen Roe—Mike is the head miller—are restoring the building in what is the definition of a "labor of love." Some people collect and post business cards from all over; Mike collects and posts corn meal sacks from gristmills around the country. They're tacked on one of the massive 50-foot-long, hand-hewn main beams that support the mill—and constitute the world's largest poplar bulletin board.