Madison County History and Genealogy

History and Genealogy



History of Madison County


Range Township Mills


From History of Madison County, W. H. Beers & Co, Chicago, 1883

There is comparatively little to be said upon this subject in Range Township, as the majority of the mills that are or have been in the township have been portable mills, or mills of a temporary character. Many of the early settlers would erect a cheap temporary saw-mill on some stream or creek, to be run by water-power, and, as the supply of water was only adequate to run the mill a short time, just when there was high water, the balance of the time the mill was useless. And there has never been a railroad within the township to give facilities for shipping, or any great value to the lumber of this section; but this township is strictly an agricultural and stock-raising country, and these interests have absorbed the attention and capital of her people, to the general seclusion of everything else. At quite an early day, probably about 1835, William Holt erected a steam saw-mill at Midway, on the Armstrong lot, which was probably one of the first steam-mills in the county. This mill was run a few years and removed to Newport, and there run several years. There are a few portable saw-mills, which move from place to place and do a neighborhood work, but the principal and permanent mill of this township is the grist-mill at Danville, erected by Simeon Martin in 1881. This must prove a great convenience to the people of this community, as it is centrally located, and the only one in the township.



From History of Madison County, Ohio, Chester E. Bryan, Supervising Editor, B.F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis (1915)

Since most of the streams of the township were ill adapted to the supplying of water power for the operation of mills, there is very little to be said on the subject of early mills in Range township. There were many portable and temporary mills in the early days, but it is quite impossible to obtain, at this late date, any trace or record of them. At quite an early date, probably about 1835, William Holt erected a steam-mill in Midway—now called Sedalia—on the Armstrong lot, which was perhaps the first steam-mill in the county. This mill was run a few years and then removed to Newport, and there run several years.

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