Videos that bring Spring Mill Stories to Life -
Alan Bishop discusses the work on developing the Daisy Spring Mill Distillery with the Friends of Spring Mill State Park and other partners in March 2023.
Interview with Bill Overlease who was the naturalist from 1954-1957 and what artifacts they had at that time and how they tried to organize them.
Rex Deckard interviews Bill Overlease about the park in the 1950s. Interesting narrative about how the park was run in those days. Also text narrative from a short interview with 103-year-old Harry Smith. It wasn’t included in the video because it was too difficult to hear but I typed up what I understood.
Lawrence Lawyer was a supervisor for the CCC Camps and helped restore the mill. This is a great interview on the early CCC days and all the work they did in the Park. Rex Deckard interviews Lawrence along with his wife in Mitchell.
This narrative is a summary of the discussion they had.
1868 Memorial Day Re-enactment and Tribute at Hamer Cemetery - 5/28/1990
This program was dedicated to the Civil War soldiers who gave their lives for the preservation of the Union. Reenactors in the rain and a man playing bagpipes lead the procession. He said this would have been the type of tribute that would have been given in 1868. Rex Deckard served as speaker/pastor reflecting on the Civil War which had just ended.
Rex reminds the group what they (the local people) did to support the Civil War soldiers and they have much to be proud of. A woman sang a patriotic song, another read a letter she’d received from her husband, a Union soldier, who had messages for his neighbors and an update on the war. A boy reads a letter from his father off in the war. A grandmother reads from a diary sent home from her grandson. A sister reads from her brother’s letter about his wanting to come home. A mother read a letter from someone in the south who was reporting that her son was captured.
Rex reads a list of the local men who were killed in the Civil War and buried in the Hamer Cemetery:
Hugh Hamer – Battle of Missionary Ridge
George Washington Hamer
Henry Hamer
Josiah Cleveland
Albert Lucas
Harrison Hamer
Samuel K. Lynn
Solomon Lynn
Randville Lynn
Thomas Hamer
William Shalter
The detachment fires twice to honor the fallen soldiers. The bagpipes start up again. White peonies are handed out for the reenactors to place on the graves of the soldiers. (*not sure of spelling of names)
Frank Hamer does an interview With Rex Deckard.
Frank does amazing interviews and in this interview which is over an hour long, he talks about his Hamer ancesters, Spring Mill’s history, and tells many interesting stories. A great interview by 94 year old Frank Hamer. A summary is included here.
Civil War Memorial Service
Memorial Service 1997
The tape is short and not well done, first speaker is hard to hear. The scene is soldiers with flags and reenactors. The second speaker reads a letter about a soldier waiting for a battle. Lots of noise from the crowd. By the 3rd speaker the camera moves closer. They read another letter where a soldier is writing home thanking his folks for everything they’ve sent and asking for more letters. Another letter reporting about the local boy getting captured. A letter from a soldier on his long march and describes the battlefield. A soldier writes asking for stamps and word from home. Another boy writes that he’s been sick but is better and talks about some battles and some losses of boys from the neighborhood. After this letter the military unit of reenactors start to give a tribute when the tape interrupts with a ballgame abruptly at 14:32 – but then starts again at 15:57. They fire some volleys and do some maneuvers. Drummers start and the unit marches out with the village women following and walk down the road. After that they show off a new baby carriage that has just been restored in the village.
Video with Stanley Gabby Granecki and his early days in the Spring Mill CCC camp.
Rex Deckard interviews Stanley “Gabby” Granecki about his days in the Civilian Conservation Corps and working at the Spring Mill Camp. Link here describes the different projects he worked on.
Terry Prewitt – Spring Mill Blacksmith, 1991
Terry demonstrates his craft and talks about all the things blacksmiths made in pioneer days. He talks about what they did in 1832 – even iron railroad tracks and a locomotive. For Spring Mill village he would have been the wheel wright, the machinist, the mechanic, the farrier – though a small part of his trade. He would even have pulled teeth. He’s been doing this for 4.5 years – creating useable products. Demonstrates making things and explains how the forge works and how he forms metal.
Terry Prewitt describes being a Blacksmith.
Hamer Cemetery with Frank Hamer, also visit other cemeteries in the area where Spring Mill families are buried.
Pdf Summary of the interview with Frank Hamer at the Hamer Cemetery and other cemeteries in the area where Spring Mill families are buried.
Mr. and Mrs. Thayer Hamilton interview about Thayer’s years in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Rex Deckard interviewed Thayer Hamilton and his wife about Thayer’s years with the Civilian Conservation Corps at Spring Mill and all the many projects he worked on.
Gus Grissom Memorial Rededication
Mark Young moderates the rededication of the Virgil Gus Grissom Memorial on 7/12/1994. Introduces all the many people in attendance. Remarks are given by then Senator Becky Skillman and Representative Denbo. Mark said it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the first moon shot and the 33rd anniversary of Virgils first trip into space and 23rd anniversary of the first dedication of the memorial. He gives the biography of Virgil Gus Grissom. The memorial was first dedicated in 1971.
Jerry Padgett spoke on the remodeling of the memorial. He said they realized they were no longer doing a good job caring for and protecting the artifacts. There were also accessibility issues. They’ve added temperature and humidity controls to protect the artifacts. The UV light is controlled as well. The vision was to create a feeling of space.
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Grissom (Gus’s parents) help cut the ribbon at the front door. Norma and Becky Grissom (Gus’s brother), Wilma and Joe Beavers (Gus’s sister) and other family members were there.
Then there’s footage of the nature center where they show the woodland scene upstairs and how they built the cave in the stairwell. They describe how they did the work.
PDF summarizing the program at the Spring Mill Inn’s 50th Year Anniversary rededication, who spoke and who was recognized.
Spring Mill Inn Rededication 1989