A New Future for Grinnell Mill
By Liz MacDonald ’04
Last June, the Miami Township Fire-Rescue unit issued an
order to take action on the historic Grinnell Mill located
in the South Glen. The Mill was in serious disrepair and the
Miami Township fire department deemed it to be “hazardous.”
Antioch University was given 90 days to create a plan for
saving the building. After months of negotiations and deadline
extensions, the future of the mill has been determined, and
it looks bright.
In January, the Miami Township trustees reached an agreement
with the University—the Township would assume ownership
of the Grinnell Mill and lease the four acres of land surrounding
it. Jim Hammond, a Yellow Springs resident, began the twoyear
initiative to save the historic Mill and worked extensively
with the Township and the University in reaching this agreement.
The agreement contains an outline of the trustees’ plans
for the building. First, the Township intends to stabilize
the structure itself. Work has already begun on this endeavor:
trash and other debris have been removed, and new siding is
being installed. Once the structure is secured, the Township
will establish a not-for-profit entity to administer further
restoration and future usage of the Mill. This non-profit
will consist of a Miami Township trustee, the Executive Director
of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute (GHEI), and the president
of the Yellow Springs Historical Society. One idea for the
eventual use of Grinnell Mill is to turn it into a cultural
heritage resource center. “The cultural history here
is just phenomenal. The Glen is not just a nature preserve;
it’s also cultural heritage. The Mill is 200 years old,
that’s a lot of history just in and of itself,”
comments Bob Whyte, Executive Director of GHEI.
While the Township has assumed ownership of the Mill, Antioch
still owns the four acres of land the Mill occupies. The benefits
from this agreement with the Township are the preservation
of a valuable historic resource, a new partnership between
the Miami Township and Antioch University, and the assurance
that the future of the Mill will be to serve the public. Whyte
explains, “This is setting a new precedent for the Glen.
We’re going to have a direct partnership with the Township
in developing the Mill so that it will enhance the Glen, enhance
the community, and enhance the region. We are going to work
towards making the facility available for use by the broader
community.”
Grinnell Mill was built in 1813 , but the original structure
burned down several years later. The current building was
constructed on the original foundation in 1821. The Grinnell
family operated the mill as a water-powered gristmill until
1914, when the waterwheel was replaced by a locally-manufactured
turbine. The Mill closed in 1937 after business became too
difficult to maintain. Grinnell Mill remained vacant until
1948 when Antioch College purchased it and incorporated it
into Glen Helen. 
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