Markle Park n Thomas Mill Dam

Near this location, there is a dam that ran the flour mill for the Markle area. Presently there is a nice park and log cabin. The dam is now behind a larger levee that cut off the section of the Wabash River where it is located.

A generator which had been located in the river and help make electricity to run the rollers, is located in Markle Old Mill Park.

The best view of the dam remnants is from the levee. Park at the end of Wilt St. and take the walking trail on the top of the levee for about ¼ mile. Or, park in the Old Mill Park and take the levee trail to the east.

An early Markle log cabin, was discovered in 2016, saved from demolition, and moved to the park in 2017 where it is now on permanent display.

According to the 1887 county history:

“one of the early industries of Markle was the large flouring mill, erected sometime in the [eighteen] fifties, by William Chapman. It was a three story frame structure, operated by waterpower, and for a number of years was one of the most successful mills in the eastern part of Huntington County. It has passed through the hands of different parties, and is now owned by M. King, who is remodeling it throughout and supplying machinery for the manufacture of flour by the roller process.”

According to Ancil R. Thomas’ obituary, he and Enoch, his father, purchased the Huntington Mill on South Jefferson Street from Charles Nix and continued that business until 1881. They bought a mill at Red Bridge in Wabash County and milled there until 1889. In an 1892 newspaper article, it describes the sale of the mill from Will Smith to Mr. Ancil R. Thomas (1848-1931). “The Markle mill is a full roller mill with a capacity of about forty-five barrels a day”. After Enoch’s death, Ancil continued the business and his son Claude joined him. The flour mill existed until around 1964 when it burned.

When visiting the Old Mill Park, you can see one of the three water mill turbines that produced electricity for the mill. These turbines would have been placed in a tunnel with an inlet gate, or penstock, which controlled the flow to first spin a grindstone, and after upgrades, to power a generator to in turn the rollers and associated equipment used in the milling of grain. By controlling the flow of water you can control the speed of the grindstone or the amount of electricity created.

The park also has an early log cabin that has been relocated to the park. The cabin was discovered in late 2016 at 190 Draper St near the corner with Wilt. The building had been scheduled for demolition. When the siding was removed, the log cabin was found. The owner recognized the potential value and immediately various groups became involved to preserve the log cabin, including the Markle Historical Society. It was moved to its current location in 2017. 

1. Sanborn Map Company, Oct 1895. Accessed 15 May 2022. www.loc.gov/resource/g4094mm.g4094mm_g024061895/?sp=2&r=-0.533,0.543,1.991,0.988,0
2. “Flour Mill Changes Hands” The Huntington Democrat [Huntington IN] 19 May 1892
3. “Small Town Uncovers Big Surprise” Indianalandmarks.org. Accessed 15 May 2022 www.indianalandmarks.org/2017/01/draper-log-cabin-discovered-in-markle/
4. “Log cabin a testament to the past in town of Markle” localremnants.wordpress.com. Accessed 15 May 2022. https://localremnants.wordpress.com/2021/12/20/log-cabin-a-testament-to-the-past-in-town-of-markle/
5. “Markle Town Council spares Draper Street home from demolition” 22 Oct 2016. The Tab. Accessed 23 May 2022. http://www.huntingtoncountytab.com/community/40985/markle-town-council-spares-draper-street-home-demolition
6. History of Huntington County, Indiana: From the Earliest Time. 1887. Chicago: Brant & Fuller, p753
7. Map of Huntington Co., Indiana. 1866. Warner, Hayes & Warner. Ligonier, Ind.: E.B. Gerber & C.S. Warner.
8. “Markle Mill and Dam.” ca1955. Huntington County, Indiana : Memories of Markle. (Small binder of donated images on the shelf of the Keefer Center in the Huntington City-Township Public Library.)