Notes From the President
May 27, 2004
Welcome to “Notes from the President”. This is where you
can find the latest news about Pine Creek Mill, Melpine School
and the Muscatine area Buckskinners. It is also the
place to find the latest news about our Web site.
School tours are a success
Our new school tour program has been a success. As of May
24th, 423 grade school children, parents and teachers
have come to the park. Several more classes came after May
24th, but I don’t have the attendance counts yet.
Students learned about the mill, ground grain, and sampled
pancakes made from their flour. They sat at the old seats in
Melpine school to hear what it was like to be a child in the
past. They learned about the Nye cemetery, the story of
Benjamin Nye and about grave witching. Photos will soon be
available on our Web site. Of the 423 visitors, 146 are
from classes that have been coming for years.
The staff has had many positive comments from the teachers and
we expect even more classes next year. Heather
Shoppa’s favorite response was from
a student who told her “This was the best day of my life”.
Attendance continues to be more than expected
The tour guides have counted 594 visitors from May 1st
to May 22nd. When the school groups are added,
our attendance through May 22nd comes to 1017.
That’s an amazing start to the year. Last year we had
about 2850 visitors from mid-July thru October.
Special guests from the University of Iowa
Spouses of members of the University’s College of Engineering
Advisory Board toured the mill on April 29th.
Sunday Fun-Day plans
Heather Shoppa is making plans for this new series of
activities. Plans are not firm yet. But some
probable dates and topics are:
-
June 5th will be “Young Pioneer Day – Craftsman’s
Skill”. It’s aimed at children of 4 years old and older.
There will be a blacksmithing demonstration and kids can make
their own candles just like the pioneers did.
-
June 20th : “Mad Scientist Day”. Kids
will learn how to identify birds at the Park.
-
June 27th: “Art in the Park – Sketching”.
An artist will teach kids the art of sketching.
-
July 18th: “Art in the Park – Photographic
Process”.
Article in Muscatine Journal
The Muscatine Journal published a front page story about our new
educational programs. Check out our Web site for a copy of
the article. It was also printed in the Quad City Times.
Editorial in Muscatine Journal
We were pleasantly surprised to see an editorial praising our
efforts to restore the mill and make it available to the public.
A copy is now available on our Web site.
Pine Creek on TV
A
film crew from the new Muscatine Journal TV station was at the
mill recently to interview some of us and shoot footage of the
mill. This piece should soon be available on local cable.
They are doing programs on other attractions in the Muscatine
area also. These programs are intended to promote local
attractions to citizens of Muscatine and especially to the
thousands of visitors who come to watch soccer and softball.
Antique Tractor Show and Old Time Music Jam Fest
This event has been cancelled. The tractor club has
decided to hold their annual picnic and show at a site in
Illinois.
Tour Guides Still Needed
Would you like to greet visitors and tell them the mill’s story?
Do you know of someone who would like to do it? These are
part-time paid positions with flexible hours. If
interested please contact Heather Shoppa at 563-571-5213 or
563-262-8295 or Tom Hanifan at 563-263-4818.
Concessions
Friends has received permission from DNR to sell water and soft
drinks at the mill. A vendor has been contacted and we
should be in business soon. Permission has also been
granted to place a soft drink vending machine at the Fairport
Recreation Area. Permission has also been granted to
provide a snack wagon during special events. Our goal is
to provide additional services to Park visitors and to raise
funds for Friends’ activities.
Highway signs
The Department of Transportation is helping us to install road
signs on Iowa Highway 22 and US Highway 61. They have
asked us to fill out a questionnaire. These signs will
inform travelers of the existence of the mill and the school,
and will direct travelers to us.
“Historical Marker” signs
The Department of Transportation is also helping us install
“Historical Marker” road signs, to inform the public of the
Benjamin Nye monument marking the site where the mill’s builder
was killed.
Restoration
The steam engine has been removed for restoration. Kent
Graham of Gray Barn Machine Shop has removed the piston so that
work can continue. The parts will soon be sand blasted and
primed for painting. Thanks to DNR for agreeing to fund
the sand blasting and priming. The office has been cleaned out
and tools have been moved to a new work/storage area on the 2nd
floor. For a detailed update of progress, check the
Restoration page on our Web site.
Roof repair
Replacement of the roof on the lean-to portion of the mill is
working its way through DNR channels. The new roof will
look different. It will be made of metal rather than the
current wood shakes. We recently found old photos that
show the original roof was made of metal, to reduce the danger
of fire from sparks coming from the boiler. The new roof
will be designed so that a replica smoke stack could possibly be
added later.
Dam Repair
Mitch White has talked with the Tri City Building Trades union
about repairing portions of the dam as a volunteer project.
Park Manager Dennis Murphy is writing the needed letter.
