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The Mill is open from June through September on Sunday's from 2 to 4.
Rogues' Hollow is a secluded area of wooded hills that lies just west of State Rte. 21
in Chippewa Township a couple of miles south of the village of Doylestown.
In 1815 Chippewa Township was formed in Wayne County and was named for the tribe of native Americans who lived there when Thomas Frederick, the first white settler arrived.
In 1827 the Village of Doylestown was founded by a red-headed Irishman named William Doyle who had come here from Pennsylvania. He bought land at the 'top of the hill' where he founded the Village.
There were a few farmers living here when Samuel Chidester moved from Wooster in the late 1820s. He and his family settled by Silver Creek, built a log cabin and then built a woolen mill. Local farmers had sheep that provided the wool to spin the yarn and make cloth. This was probably the first industry in this area.
The Ohio Canal was beginning to attract new people. Coal was easily available, sometimes on the surface of the ground, and the people living here used it to heat their homes. Not many years after Chidester arrived coal became a commercial product and coal mining became the predominant industry in the Hollow. The canal provided transportation for the coal and mining in the Hollow lasted for more than 100 years.
The coal miners were men who worked hard and played hard, especially on Saturday nights. Probably they were the rogues from which the 'Hollow' got its name. Rogues' Hollow is widely known in this area of Ohio mostly for the tales spun by the miners after their Saturday night revelries. Many families living in the area today trace their roots to the Hollow.
Russell Frey, owner and publisher of the Rittman Press, wrote a book, Rogues Hollow - History and Legends and published it in 1958. With a small group of charter members, he started the Rogues' Hollow Historical Society in 1959. In 1973 the Society purchased the land where the original Chidester Mill had stood. A replica of the Mill was built in 1976 and is now operated as a museum by the Society.
Today the Society is dedicated to collecting, organizing, and preserving the history of the area - artifacts and information about all facets of life - agricultural life, life in the Hollow, and life in the Village.
Interest in the Society is growing. During the last few years, people searching for their roots, have been coming to this area for information. The Rogues' Hollow Festival in Doylestown during the first weekend in August each summer is generating interest. The master plan has been approved for the 110 mile 'Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor' and our land and museum is part of that. All of these things are increasing the interest in the history of the area. This provides us with many new opportunities. Nurturing that interest and preserving our history provides us with many new challenges. This is an exciting time for all of us.
Mr. Frey and others worked hard to provide a foundation on which we can build. We now have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to continuing the work they started but we need your help. Please join us in this endeavor.
in Chippewa Township a couple of miles south of the village of Doylestown.
In 1815 Chippewa Township was formed in Wayne County and was named for the tribe of native Americans who lived there when Thomas Frederick, the first white settler arrived.
In 1827 the Village of Doylestown was founded by a red-headed Irishman named William Doyle who had come here from Pennsylvania. He bought land at the 'top of the hill' where he founded the Village.
There were a few farmers living here when Samuel Chidester moved from Wooster in the late 1820s. He and his family settled by Silver Creek, built a log cabin and then built a woolen mill. Local farmers had sheep that provided the wool to spin the yarn and make cloth. This was probably the first industry in this area.
The Ohio Canal was beginning to attract new people. Coal was easily available, sometimes on the surface of the ground, and the people living here used it to heat their homes. Not many years after Chidester arrived coal became a commercial product and coal mining became the predominant industry in the Hollow. The canal provided transportation for the coal and mining in the Hollow lasted for more than 100 years.
The coal miners were men who worked hard and played hard, especially on Saturday nights. Probably they were the rogues from which the 'Hollow' got its name. Rogues' Hollow is widely known in this area of Ohio mostly for the tales spun by the miners after their Saturday night revelries. Many families living in the area today trace their roots to the Hollow.
Russell Frey, owner and publisher of the Rittman Press, wrote a book, Rogues Hollow - History and Legends and published it in 1958. With a small group of charter members, he started the Rogues' Hollow Historical Society in 1959. In 1973 the Society purchased the land where the original Chidester Mill had stood. A replica of the Mill was built in 1976 and is now operated as a museum by the Society.
Today the Society is dedicated to collecting, organizing, and preserving the history of the area - artifacts and information about all facets of life - agricultural life, life in the Hollow, and life in the Village.
Interest in the Society is growing. During the last few years, people searching for their roots, have been coming to this area for information. The Rogues' Hollow Festival in Doylestown during the first weekend in August each summer is generating interest. The master plan has been approved for the 110 mile 'Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor' and our land and museum is part of that. All of these things are increasing the interest in the history of the area. This provides us with many new opportunities. Nurturing that interest and preserving our history provides us with many new challenges. This is an exciting time for all of us.
Mr. Frey and others worked hard to provide a foundation on which we can build. We now have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to continuing the work they started but we need your help. Please join us in this endeavor.
Chidester Mill
COME VISIT US SOON
We have added 4600 feet of trails on 29 acres of beautiful woodlands, some of which run along Silver Creek. Most of the trails are flat making it easy for seniors and small children to walk. Bring your picnic basket! We have 3 barbecue grills and several picnic tables for small cook outs. There is no charge to tour the mill, walk the trails or have a picnic on the grounds. Being a member helps us maintain the property, We are a non-profit organization.