By Ken Drenten

Gristmill Antiques, a shop with unique treasures for heart and home, is a bit off the beaten track but well worth the journey to rural Stark County.

Originally built as Bars Mill in 1816 in Ohio’s Amish country, the mill was moved to its current location in the 1860s due to flooding, and was converted to steam power. By the 1920s it had become a feed mill; a train depot was also located there.

By the 1980s, the mill had become dilapidated, and in 1999, Tom Brothers and his wife Sheila purchased the building. The mill structure was raised to place a new foundation beneath it. Large pieces of stone from the old foundation are part of the building’s front porch and landscaping. The only non-original pieces on the building are the foundation, steel roofing and cedar siding. Inside, original beams hand-hewn in 1816 can be easily viewed.

Gristmill Antiques opened in 2004 and changed ownership in 2012 to Candy Gatewood. The shop holds two floors of carefully curated treasures just waiting to be discovered. Pieces include fine china, primitive and antique furniture, Fenton and Imperial glassware, oil lamps, milk bottles, decorative figurines, vintage signs and much more.

The mill also displays original mill equipment such as an 1884 George T. Smith Co. flour bolt used to sift flour. The shop also has a great view of the railroad tracks, with a train passing through twice a day. The back porch is actually the old railroad dock where workers once loaded bags of flour onto trains for shipment to customers.

Gristmill Antiques is located at 516 Redwood St. SW, just west of SR 93 on SR 212 in Beach City (330) 756-4802. Check out Gristmill Antique’s Facebook page for current specials.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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