Depending on the time of the
year this area may have mosquitoes. If you would like some insect
repellent we have left some inside the geocaching box attached to
the sign in front of the Chidester Mill. This box also has the
information needed to complete the Rogues' Hollow multicache.
(GC1QYGR) It is located at these coordinates. N 40° 56.489 W081°
40.538 The combination for the lock is"425".
Chidester Woolen Factory on left and dye house
on right.
Available year round, dawn to
dusk ONLY. Night caching is not permitted. Please park in the
designated areas only. Please don't turf Mac's lawn!
This cache is located
within the Rogues' Hollow Historical Park and Chippewa Nature
Preserve with permission from Rogues' Hollow Historical Society.
The Chidester Mill houses a small museum which is open Sundays from
2pm - 4pm during the summer. While visiting you may see the
caretaker for this beautiful area. His name is Mac. He is fortunate
enough to live in the residence at the Chidester woolen mill. Mac
is very knowledgeable about this area so feel free to ask him any
questions and thank him if you see him. At his discretion, Mac may
open the museum and/or allow caching after dusk. The amount of work
that he does is amazing! For those that are inclined Mac has given
permission for CCW. In some areas of the preserve
you may see "No Trespassing" signs. These signs are not directed
toward geocachers as geocachers have permission to look for caches
and explore the property. (These signs are to deter kids from
hanging out and drinking beer.)
When Samuel Chidester
moved here it was the prospect of harnessing Silver Creek that
intrigued him. It was as early at 1828 when Chidester drove his
family by wagon over muddy roads from Wooster to settle in the
lower part of what is now called Rogues’ Hollow. Back in
those days there were only a few scattered
settler-farmers.
Along with his brother
Ephraim the Chidester brothers, after building a log cabin, built a
saw mill on the west side and a dam above to provide water power.
The water was conveyed from the dam through a mill race. Water
could then be diverted into the mill race or into the creek a will
by operating a gate.
The sawmill was also
located near this cache site, across the creek. The mill race
located beside the rebuilt Chidester Woolen Mill also fed water to
both mills. The sawmill had been constructed first. From this
sawmill they sawed planks and timbers that were then used to
construct other buildings. Such buildings include the Woolen mill
located a couple hundred feet from here.
Samuel Chidester
learned to spin and weave wool into cloth during the eight years he
worked at Stibbs Woolen Mill in Wooster, Ohio. He started the first
industry in eastern Wayne County. The farmers in this area brought
to him wool to be washed, picked, carded, and spun into yarn.
Sarah, Samuel’s step-daughter, was such an expert at this
that she processed with wool and wove the cloth for her wedding
dress.
All of the original
Chidester buildings have since disappeared. You’ll get
to see a replica of the Chidester Mill which is today the home of
the Rogues’ Hollow Historical Society. It even houses a small
museum which is open during the Rogues’ Hollow Festival and
during the summer hours on Sundays from 2-4pm. Be sure to stop by
and take a look.
The waterwheel at the Chidester Woolen
Mill
