Tope Family Page

TOPE MILL

Photo by Donald L. Kear

Photo by Dick Griffin - Carroll Co. Visitor's Guide

• After moving to Carroll County, Ohio around 1800, George TOPE built the area's first saw mill (now named Algonquin Mill) in 1815, and the area's first grist mill in 1818. The relatively small buhrs were turned by an undershot wheel with power derived from a dam and millrace. The McGuire Fork, a branch of the Conotton Creek, does not pass the mill now, but it is still visible some distance from the mill site.
• George operated the mill until his death in 1845, after which it was operated by members of his family until 1865 when it was sold. In 1879, Dr. Jasper TOPE bought the mill and owned it until 1890 with partial interests being held at various times by relatives.
• Dr.TOPE's office was on a site within a few feet of the mill. If you visit the mill, his office was on the site where a building now is used for the sale of bread during the festival, which has been held the second weekend in October since 1971.
• A new owner installed boilers and converted from water to steam power. Previously, when meal or flour came from the buhrs, it was put through a small hand-operated roller to remove the coarser particles to produce a finer product. This involved much extra work, and converting from water to steam power was a great improvement.
• In 1917 a second set of boilers were installed in the mill. At its peak, the mill produced 25 barrels in 24 hours, grinding, as it does today, wheat, corn and buckwheat. It was shut down in 1938 for the first time in 120 years.
• The village of Algonquin, now Petersburg (no one seems to know why or when the name was changed), named for the Indian camp, was platted on 23 Sept. 1867, by Joseph TOPE and Cornelius BRACKIN, but the plat evidently never was recorded. The village had a population of 200 and a post office called Algonquin. It was established 19 Sept. 1851, with Hiram TOPE as the first postmaster. The office was discontinued from 1864-66, but was re-established and continued in operation until 5 Dec. 1907.
• During World War II, the boiler was sold as scrap for the war effort. When the Carroll County Historical Society acquired the mill, it was necessary to purchase a new boiler.
• The Carroll County Historical Society purchased the mill in 1969, and dedicated itself to the preservation of, and restoration of the property as nearly as possible to the original.
• The 3.88 acre mill complex is listed on the National Registry of Historic Sites by the United States Department of Interior.