State park trees leveled by Indiana tornado get second life in grist mill restoration

Trees in McCormick's Creek State Park leveled when a tornado struck parts of Owen and Monroe counties on March 31, 2023, are being used in another state park — Spring Mill near Mitchell — as part of the Pioneer Village grist mill renovation.

Poplar trees, 220 of them, from the campground area at McCormick's Creek State Park have been milled and are now being dried. They will then become the new flume that channels water from Hamer Cave to the water wheel at the grist mill at Spring Mill.

In keeping with the historic nature of Pioneer Village, the wood is being dried using a U.S. Forest Service technique that heats the timber to much higher temperatures than are used in most kiln-drying processes, according to Kirby Kody, interpretive naturalist at McCormick's Creek. Kody said the process makes the boards more hydrophobic and resistant to warping, fungus and rot.

While Kody won't be present for the restoration efforts in Spring Mill, he and others at McCormick's Creek are glad for something positive after the tornado, which killed two people in the park's campground area.

"For us it's just such a nice way to bring something positive out of a sad event," he said. "I kind of love that a little bit of McCormick's Creek will be at Spring Mill. It's kind of special for us as we are recovering from the tornado."

Grist mill at Spring Mill's Pioneer Village stops working in 2021

The grist mill in Spring Mill's Pioneer Village was built in 1817 and now is the central focus of the restored village that portrays life from the year 1863. Before parts of the grist mill deteriorated to the point it was impossible to operate in October 2021, the mill was run for five minutes every hour during the park's regular hours, spring through fall. The corn that was ground into cornmeal was packaged and sold and also used by the park's inn for various dishes in its restaurant.

Water from Hamer Cave, located uphill from the village, was directed via the flume to the water wheel on the outside wall of the mill, powering the gears and wooden shaft that turns the 2-ton millstone. Visitors could watch nearby as the millstone ground corn at a rate of 25-30 pounds in five minutes.

The shaft, installed in 1953 and now cracked and broken, shifted, causing the grist mill to stop operating. The shaft is a single tree that's 26.5 feet long and is fitted into the mill's main gear. For a new shaft, a straight tree with a final cut size of 30 inches in diameter was needed. State forestry staff found a white oak tree in Morgan-Monroe State Forest that was cut down and transported to a mill near Madison where it is now curing and will have the initial cut before it's transported to Spring Mill.

"We wanted to make sure it has at least a six-month cure time," said Mark Young, property manager at Spring Mill. He said ideally the tree will cure for eight months before it's cut and transported to the state park. That means some time between March and May the shaft will be delivered to the Pioneer Village.

The final cutting to fit the shaft into the mill's main gear will happen in the village, Young said, allowing the public to watch the process, which will include replacing the water wheel outside the mill and the gear structure inside. Since extensive renovations are happening, Young said, officials determined it was best to replace the flume structure and piping as well.

The flume portion of the project will happen first, with 550 feet of 20-inch cast iron pipe being replaced with noncorroding PVC pressure pipe system. The pipe will be surrounded by wood, cut from the McCormick's Creek trees, to form the flume and water chute that directs water to the grist mill's water wheel.

"We're trying to maintain it as authentic as we can but unfortunately we have to use pipe," Young said.

A new water wheel will be constructed to match the existing 24-foot wheel that was built in 1997. Templates from the previous water wheel built in 1982, used to build the 1997 wheel, will be referenced again to fashion the new white oak water wheel.

When the old water wheel is removed from its position outside the grist mill, most of the wall on that side of the building will have to be torn down, Young said. The old shaft will be lifted out and the new shaft will be positioned inside the mill. Once workers have ensured the components fit together and are balanced, the wall will be rebuilt, Young said. Then the new water wheel outside and the new gear inside will be built and connected.

"We were just real lucky the millwright is based out of Louisville, Kentucky," Young said. "And lucky he was available for this project."

By the end of January, Young anticipates the timeline for the work needed for the extensive project will be finalized. Right now, staff are clearing trees near the flume. The lumber from the McCormick's Creek trees is expected to be delivered sometime this month.

"The whole process will be lengthy and slow and come in spurts," Young said. "When we're ready to take the wall out we will have to shut the mill down."

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The public may be able to watch progress of the renovation, Young said, at a distance. "What we're planning to do is cordon off areas. You could still stand across the creek from the mill and watch the work being done."

Young wasn't able to give a date when the project will be complete since he anticipates more may have to be done to the building. "When you remodel old buildings you are always surprised by things."

Some tornado damaged areas will be left alone at McCormick's Creek State Park

Repair work continues at McCormick's Creek State Park and will last throughout 2024 and beyond, Kody said.

The campground area and several trails at McCormick's Creek remain closed. Kody said there is no estimated date for when the areas will reopen because the damage was so extensive and most of the campground and trails will have to be redesigned before they are rebuilt.

Photos of the damage: Tornado Cleanup in the campground areas at McCormick's Creek State Park

The campground area and nearby trails that were affected by the March 31 tornado will be repaired, but areas in both McCormick's Cover and Wolf Cave nature preserves will not be touched, leaving downed trees where they are unless they block the trails.

"We are going to let natural recovery happen," Kody explained. "It is a really rare opportunity for us to see how our forests handle a tornado." The preserves will be monitored over time so Kody and other scientists can observe as natural succession occurs.

Even with all the damage, Kody wants people to know they can still visit McCormick's Creek State Park.

"We would love for people to visit," he said, adding that programs continue year-round, even in the winter months. Anyone interested in what trails are open or which programs are happening can check out the park's website or social media posts.

Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com, 812-331-4359 or @ckugler on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Trees leveled at McCormick's Creek get new life at Spring Mill