A haunting at Montauk

By Editor | October 23, 2024 |

Photo by Heather Harrington
The cast of the Haunting at the Mill included, from bottom to top, far left: Kristie Nelson; left row on steps, Lily Low, Diesel Harrington, Jaxon Harrington, and Darin Biegel; middle row on steps, Aubrey Low, Kataryna Davis, Gemma Orlando and Ron Alsup; right row on steps: Eva Low, Cheri Low and Karen Dalbom.

By Shari Harris, Publisher

Montauk State Park Naturalist Kristie Nelson guided guests through a Haunting at the Montauk Mill Saturday evening. Visitors from the past helped Nelson share the history of the mill and the Montauk community throughout the tour.

Tales of the beginnings of the Mill in 1896 to the beginning of the State Park in 1926 included Miller Grover Brigman, who was at the mill until 1927. A shopkeeper introduced guests to his selection of wares, and a Civilian Conservation Corps worker shared stories of their work, as they built the park in the 1930s. The CCC workers lived at the park, hand dug a hatchery pond, built a stone foundation under the mill and added siding to the exterior of the stacked-lumber mill. The builder of the mill also made an appearance, as did a teacher and some students from the Allred School, which was located in the community. A baseball player showed up this year as well, from the Ozark Baseball Camp which was held in one of the campground areas from the 1940s through the 1960s. The evening even had a couple of snake oil salesmen show up with their traveling medicine show.

Photo by Shari Harris
Evelyn Tyree, left, and Kaylyn Daldom cooked hot cocoa over a campfire.

Park Superintendent Kaylyn Daldom and Seasonal Naturalist Evelyn Tyree provided hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows for the guests to enjoy before or after the tour, cooked over a small campfire beside the mill.