Beck’s Mill
The wheels keep turning
Built by George Beck and his sons in 1808, Beck’s Mill was first mill of about 60 built in the county and, ironically, the last one still standing. It’s also the third mill built by the Becks at this location.
The original structure was a 15-foot square. It was replaced in 1825 and that one was replaced in 1864; the structure built in 1825 burned in 1863. As men were rebuilding it, Morgan and his Raiders stopped by and demanded money to keep it from being burned again. They paid up, the building resumed and Morgan and his men went on their way.
Renovated after the Beck family donated the land, the mill just recently reopened.
Located just a few miles outside of Salem at one of the highest elevations in Indiana, at 946 feet above sea level, the wonderfully restored Beck’s Mill sits on a rocky ravine surrounded by sycamores and maples.
After visiting the mill be sure to stop by Beck’s Mill General Store just up the way at the crossroads of Beck’s Mill Road and the Old Vincennes Trail. Once the site of the Beck’s Mill settlement and the site of two small forts built after the Pigeon Roost Massacre of 1812, it now is a peaceful spot on the road.
Celebrate Octoberfest and the Beck’s German Heritage with demonstrations of apple butter making and campfire bean making using Beck’s Mill Cornbread.