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Some of the reasons for selection of this site are to give recognition to the hardy pioneers that moved into Beaver County, north of the Ohio River, following the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1795, clearing land, building log cabin homes and building and operating mills along the Little Beaver River. The McMinns were the first to come to this area according to Warner's 1888 History of Beaver County. (Page 534) Descendants of the Robert McMinn family family still live on part of the original lands now owned by James and Asenath (McMinn) Bayes. Robert McMinn's wife, Mary Sprott, was said to be the first white woman to cross the Ohio River after the treaty of peace with the Indians. (Jordan's History of Beaver County 1914, Page 17). The McMinns built a grist mill and a log cabin not far from this marker site and, as the family grew, more cabins were built. The present house just above this site is where Milton and his wife, Mary (Stang) McMinn lived. Mrs. McMinn died this year at age 99 years. This house has a log house under part of the frame house. Robert McMinn had been an officer in the Revolutionary War and was given land for his services. Beaver County Courthouse records show land for Robert McMinn recorded in 1804. Pages from the McMinn family Bible record show: Robert McMinn, B. 1764 D. 1857 and Mary Sprott, B. 1770 D 1848. Their son, Robert McMinn, was born Nov. 6, 1795. There were Robert McMinns earlier than the one who settled here ... and there is one Robert McMinn still living who is expected to be here at this Dedication Ceremony.
The McMinn Grist Mill is shown on a map in Bausman's History of Beaver County 1904 (Page 882), by Hugh McCullough dated 1817 ... and in Caldwell's Atlas as Patterson's Mill (1876) (Page 28) This land was later sold to Elias Atkinson, grandfather of Glen Kibler. He and his wife, Rose, live just above the mill site now. At some period the mill must have been known as Anderson's Mill. (Jordan's History of Beaver County 1914) (Page 17). The original McMill Mill is thought to have been part of the present Glen Kibler barn and the stones nearest Haney Road are part of the original foundation. The creek was not as wide as it is now and from what "Old Timers" have told Mr. Kibler there was a dam across the creek. Planks supposed to be part of the old dam were still in the creek until 1962 when the new bridge was put in and the creek was widened. The dam backed water up for some distance on the other side of the creek and stones are yet to be seen along what must have been this pool of water. With the building of the roads and railroad the ground level was raised and only a marsh remains where the mill race used to be. Some of this can be seen from the road. In 1970 most of the stones from the mill race were covered.