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You are here: Home / Philanthropy / Wolf Pen Mill Grinds Again

Wolf Pen Mill Grinds Again

October 22nd, 2015 by Sallie Bingham in Philanthropy, Kentucky 16 Comments

From the series: Wolf Pen Branch Mill Farm

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https://salliebingham.com/wp-content/uploads/wolf_pen_mill_october_15.mp4

Wolf Pen Mill - SallieAfter decades of neglect, the great wheel and all the internal parts have been repaired and replaced by our talented millwright, Ben Hassett, and last Sunday, October 18th, water was released from the millpond through the sluice and the great wheel, creaking and groaning, began to turn again. The fieldstone building that supports the wheel and houses the machinery, still solid although it is 150 years old, welcomed a group of neighbors and friends and supporters of the conservation not-for-profit, Riverfields, which holds the easements for the mill and Wolf Pen Mill Farm—one of the homes of my heart!—listened as we told the story of the three-year-long project of repairing and rebuilding. Golden yellow corn meal, ground from organic corn (the only non GMO corn in the state) filled seventy two-pound cotton bags printed with the logo of the mill that its earlier owner, Eva Lee Smith Cooper, designed when she ground corn for the dinners on the old L&N Railroad. I hope the cornmeal will turn into cornbread and hush puppies and muffins in kitchens all over the neighborhood.

Wolf Pen Mill - SallieI was too busy will people to shoot the wheel turning, but later I walked on the farm and took pictures of its autumn beauty. This is a sacred place. Generations of the Cooper family (many of them present for the first grind) preserved and loved it; neighbors have walked and picnicked there for years—one of the dramatic memories of my childhood is Mrs. Cooper with a shotgun at an upper window, telling my father in no uncertain terms to get off her land. In spite of that, I rode horseback on the farm all during my growing up; and now it may be that, once we have restored the big black barn, horses will be on the place again.

Sacred places deserve to be protected. Over the years, trespassers and guests who were not able to appreciate the place have been common, but even more common, the guests who can appreciate both the farm’s past and its future. Protected by conservation easements, the 420 acres can never been torn up and turned into the throughways, hideous strip malls and soulless subdivisions that surround it on every side.

That is, if the good angels are watching…

After decades of neglect, the great wheel and all the internal parts have been repaired and replaced by our talented millwright, Ben Hassett, and last Sunday, October 18th, water was released from the millpond through the sluice and the great wheel, creaking and groaning, began to turn again.
Wolf Pen Mill - October 2015 Wolf Pen Mill - October 2015 Wolf Pen Mill - October 2015

Wolf Pen Mill Farm - October 2015

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In Philanthropy, Kentucky Wolf Pen Branch Mill Farm

A long and fruitful career as a writer began in 1960 with the publication of Sallie Bingham's novel, After Such Knowledge. This was followed by 15 collections of short stories in addition to novels, memoirs and plays, as well as the 2020 biography The Silver Swan: In Search of Doris Duke.

Her latest book, Taken by the Shawnee, is a work of historical fiction published by Turtle Point Press in June of 2024. Her previous memoir, Little Brother, was published by Sarabande Books in 2022. Her short story, "What I Learned From Fat Annie" won the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize in 2023 and the story "How Daddy Lost His Ear," from her forthcoming short story collection How Daddy Lost His Ear and Other Stories (September 23, 2025), received second prize in the 2023 Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition.

She is an active and involved feminist, working for women’s empowerment, who founded the Kentucky Foundation for Women, which gives grants to Kentucky artists and writers who are feminists, The Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture at Duke University, and the Women’s Project and Productions in New York City. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Sallie's complete biography is available here.

Comments

  1. James Voyles on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 8:09 am

    Great, good gift! Thank you, Sallie.

    Reply
  2. Ranny Levy on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 8:17 am

    Lovely

    Reply
  3. nat hesse says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 9:05 am

    What a beautiful project,

    Reply
  4. Donna Lynn Earley on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 9:23 am

    This is wonderful! Such a beautiful place! Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Scott Wilhoit on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Sallie, what a special treat. We so enjoyed seeing the mill in action last Sunday! Fantastic!

    Reply
  6. Carol M. Johnson says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 12:40 pm

    What a fun project! Glad there was a crowd there to cheer when everything began to flow. Nice to be able to bring a piece of the past for the present to enjoy, and give it a new future.
    You mention guests – is this open to the public to see or stay at? Don’t have a clear picture of whether this is a private home estate or a public display of restoration? Whatever it’s purpose, it’s gratifying that you were able to recreate a treasure of another era.
    I do so admire your passion to keep on finding new projects that make every day special for you.

    Reply
  7. Nathaniel Hesse on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 5:21 pm

    think, sturbridge village

    Reply
  8. Carol M. Johnson says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    I found the answer to my question on your past blogs re this very subject. I found that it is in Kentucky, fairly near when I am from in southern IN CMJ

    Reply
  9. Ward Brinegar on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Bravo! What a special project that connects past and present in this unique location. You’ve created a wonderful resource for the people of Louisville. Another example of your creative vision!

    Reply
  10. David Kempf on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 7:43 pm

    Great save for the future! Thank you.

    Reply
  11. Susann Forrest on Facebook says

    October 22nd, 2015 at 8:51 pm

    I second Ward B’s post. Thank you sallie…and after visiting Rough Point am looking forward to your book on D.Duke

    Reply
  12. Sara Morsey says

    October 23rd, 2015 at 3:45 pm

    doing good

    Reply
  13. Lynn Harbolt Wharton says

    October 24th, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    Wow! I’m so excited to here that the mill is running again! From the time I was about 8 or 9 until I was about 14, my father, my step mother and my three sisters lived in the white farm house at the beginning of the drive before you get to the mill. Rob Cooper was a family friend and business associate of my father’s. I have so many fond memories of playing in the creek and wandering the Cooper’s property. We have so many pictures that my father (an amateur photographer) took of the four of us girls. I hope I can see it running myself some time. How wonderful that would be!

    Reply
  14. Nancy Belle Fuller says

    October 25th, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    Congratulations Sallie ! Such a great idea to restore this beautiful and magical place. I remember it well.
    Best to you,
    Nancy Belle Fuller

    Reply
  15. Tom Edwards says

    October 30th, 2015 at 7:41 am

    Hello,
    I tried to use the contact form but it isn’t appearing to work correctly.

    I was at a dinner last night and someone told me about the wonderful restoration of the gristmill that you have done. I own an organic milling company where we stone mill organic grains for local chefs and a bread share program. Our goal is to increase the consumption and production of organic grains in Kentucky. I can’t tell you how excited farmers are to convert their land to organic crops. We currently stone mill wheat, grits and other grains. Feel free to check out our website Louismill.com for more information about what we are doing. I would really love to share and talk to you more about your adventure.

    Thanks

    Tom

    Tom Edwards
    502-439-0528
    t.edwards@me.com

    Reply
  16. Paula Lozar on Facebook says

    October 31st, 2015 at 1:08 am

    That’s wonderful! (Have you ever been to the Cleveland Roller Mill in Cleveland, NM? It’s a late example of a flour mill — 1907 or thereabouts — but it’s been restored, and every year they run it during the Cleveland Millfest on Labor Day Weekend. Worth the trip!)

    Reply

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