Low river exposes remnants of Springfield mill

The low water level of the Sangamon River has exposed what is likely the foundation of Carpenter’s Mill, which operated in the mid-1800s on the north side of Springfield, Ill., reported The State Journal-Register.

The location is near the Business 55 Bridge, also is Route 66.

The newspaper reported:

The mill operated between 1830 and 1870. Pictures from the Sangamon Valley Collection of the Lincoln Library show a three-story structure sitting on an elevated foundation above the Sangamon River. […]

Foundation stones have been moved and fires lit inside the remains of the mill drive mechanism — now mostly buried in sand.

Archaeologist Floyd Mansberger told the newspaper that the site could be historically significant:

“The structure of the mill, the floor plan and the mechanical workings of it all give us information about that pioneer period of the 1830s, ’40s and ’50s.”

Of special interest is the “tub drive,” a relatively advanced technology for the time that powered the mill by water falling into a tub with a turbine at the bottom. This design was an advance in efficiency over the more familiar water wheel, Mansberger said.

“Whether the turbine is down there or not is another question,” he said. “Is it there? There’s a good chance.”

Mansberger said he’s never seen a tub-drive mechanism in his 35-year career.

Officials are trying to figure out how to protect the site. That may prove difficult, because it’s a popular fishing spot at Riverside Park.

The newspaper also posted several old photos of Carpenter’s Mill and the site in the current day.

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