got entangled in a rock and retained it. Some French settlers
from Gallipolis bought it, and it was kept at Letart Falls, as
the swift current there could run the mill. The first name we
have been able to obtain as miller at Letart was George Burns,
but it is probable he was preceded by some man whose name
is not recorded.
In 1798, a floating mill was built by Col. Devol, the second
one by Col. Devol and Mr. Greene, which was on the Mus-
kingum river several miles above Marietta, which did all the,
grinding for the inhabitants on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers
for fifty miles above and below the mill. This mill is referred
to by Mr. Luther Heacox in his history of Olive township, and
also by Mrs. Dolly Knight in her paper giving a history of
Chester.
In 1806, a saw and grist mill was built on Leading creek by
Brewster Higley, James E. Phelps and Joel Higley, Jr.,
Asa Daine was the millwright. The mill was known after-
wards by the names of different owners, as Higley's mill,
Bingham's mill and others. Several miles farther up Leading creek
was the grist mill built by Samuel Denny in 1803. A saw mill
was added subsequently, and this mill stood about twenty
years. A log mill was built on the middle fork of Shade river
by Levi Stedman about 1808, the first mill in that locality, and
he used hand millstones obtained from Mr. Trueman Heacox
until proper millstones could be provided.
In 1815, Thomas Rairdon built a grist mill at Long Bottom.
Samuel Grant took charge of the Stedman mill at Chester in
1820, and rebuilt it, although Levi Stedman had supplanted
the log mill by a frame one; still it was a water mill, needing
new machinery.
Sloper's mill on Shade river farther down the stream than
Chester was noted for making flour that would "raise" salt-
rising bread, however dark.
PICTURE of the FIRST CHURCH IN RUTLAND, 1824
