Built in 1876 and restored through decades of volunteer labor, the historic Cedar Creek Grist Mill has become one of Clark County’s most recognizable links to the region’s pioneer past.
Now, caretaker Jeffrey Berry says preserving that history depends on something far less iconic than the flume's waterfall or antique machinery inside: the roof.
“There’s like four different major projects here that to pay someone to do costs about $120,000 in total,” Berry said. “First and foremost is the roof here because if the roof goes away, the entire place rots. So that’s our top priority and it’s just shy of $60,000 to pay someone to come do it.”
Berry said the mill currently leaks in multiple places during heavy rainstorms, creating growing concerns about rot inside the historic wooden structure.
“This year, upstairs leaks in like seven spots,” Berry said. “This front shed leaks in like five spots. So yeah, and as long as we continue letting it leak, it’s rotting.”
The roof replacement project is not as simple as installing modern materials. Berry said the goal is to preserve the mill’s historical integrity while ensuring the structure survives for future generations.
After consulting with several contractors, Berry said he found a company experienced in restoring historic structures.
“This company that I’ve talked to, I’ve talked to like four different companies,” Berry said, “but after speaking with them, I am fully confident they have the experience and know how to do it historically correct.”
That includes traditional hand-nailing techniques instead of modern staple guns.
Berry said volunteers initially hoped to recreate the mill’s historic cedar shake-making process by splitting their own shingles onsite, just as workers once did on the mill’s back porch.
“The back porch was originally a cedar shake mill,” Berry said. “They split cedar shakes there. They haven’t split shakes there for 100 years.”
But while the idea carries historical appeal, Berry said aging volunteers and the need for professional work have complicated the plan.
“I’m one of the youngest volunteers we have here,” Berry said. “The heart’s willing, the flesh is weak, you know.”
Instead, Berry believes hiring specialists may ultimately be the most practical solution.
“So I’ve decided it would probably be easier for me to raise $60,000 than it would be to round up people to do it ourselves,” Berry said. “And plus it comes with a warranty that way.”
The roof project is only one part of a growing list of maintenance needs. Berry said the caretaker’s cabin roof leaks, the deck has deteriorated and parts of the mill’s wooden flume also need repair.
“There’s a never-ending amount of maintenance,” Berry said. “We’re in a little canyon that’s wet, and everything’s made of wood and rocks.”
Still, he said the mill represents far more than an old building.
“If you could imagine watching Little House on the Prairie when the community came together to take care of each other and stuff, this is a remnant of that era,” Berry said. “People used to do that.”
Berry described the mill as a historic gathering place where farming families once spent weeks milling grain together, then celebrated with music and dancing after the harvest season ended.
“And when they finished the harvest, they would shove all the equipment aside and dance all night long,” Berry said. “And it was really the hub of the community back then.”
Today, Berry hopes the modern community will rally behind preserving that legacy.
“So in that spirit, I’m calling on the community to still love and take care of the place,” Berry said. “Really. I’m hoping.”
Berry noted that previous generations had already stepped forward to save the mill. Historical groups stabilized the structure in the 1960s, while volunteers restored the building and installed a new roof in the 1980s.
“We’re a generation later,” Berry said. “We need to step up like the last couple of generations have and take care of it. That way, the next generation can enjoy it.”
As of Friday, May 1, the wagives.org campaign for the Friends of the Cedar Creek Grist Mill raised just over $8,000. On Tuesday, May 5, the fundraising campaign will take part in Washington Gives, but fundraising results were unavailable as of press time. Berry said that if funding exceeded the $60,000 goal, the remaining funds would be directed straight toward the necessary costs of additional maintenance projects on the property.
To donate, visit wagives.org/organization/Friends-Of-The-Cedar-Creek-Grist-Mill or on PayPal at https://tinyurl.com/GristMillPayPal.
