Towns & Cities: Gaar's Mill, 1857, Winn Parish, LA. Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: March 25, 1971 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American Original Built In 1857 Gaar's Mill Cotton Gin Stands As Reminder Of Winn History Back in the days when cotton was king of the South, timber was king of Winn Parish, but cotton farming reigned as prince for some time. As late as 1956, cotton growth in the Winn area was substantial enough to warrant a cotton gin at Gaar's Mill, some 15 miles north of Winnfield. The cotton gin at Gaar's Mill was the last one in operation in Winn and Jackson Parishes. The entire gin stands intact on its original site to this day. The men who owned and operated the gin are residents of the area. The town was named for their ancestors. If the gin could talk, it would tell a tale. HISTORY TOLD The history of Gaar's Mill community dates back to 1857. In that year, Michael Adam Gaar came to the area in a covered wagon drawn by oxen. He had traveled from the state of Georgia, with a United States Land Patent for territory in Winn Parish. In the summer of 1857, Gaar built a one horse grist mill and cotton gin at the site where he settled. A steam operated mill and gin replaced the horse in 1872 and a community began to develop around the operation. This community became known as Gaar's Mill. A 40 foot boiler was salvaged from a sunken steamboat on Red River for the gin. Two of the first families in the community were the Faiths and the Burnetts. Soon a post office was built at the community, but was later put out of service by the start of rural route mail delivery. In 1872, two one-room school houses were erected about four miles apart. The buildings were constructed of pine timber from the area. Miss Caroline Gaar taught in one of the schools and Dr. Horace Caldwell in the other. Later a two-story school was built at Gaar's Mill and the upstairs was used for Masonic and Woodman meetings. Gaar's Mill had a high school in 1921. Its firs principal was D. E. Sikes, the parish superintendent. It also had a branch parish library. GAAR BUILDERS Just as Mike Adam Gaar had settled and helped build his community, his son, Dave Gaar, was busy building the community of Dodson, just a few miles west of Gaar's Mill. In 1853, almost four years before the first Gaar came to the area, Dr. Reeks settled in the Dodson area and deadened a large portion of the virgin pine forest for a settlement there. Dr. Reeks had utilized slave labor for his project, but due to the release of his slaves for some reason, the timber was never cleared after it was felled. Consequently, the land was left with piles of dead timber for some distance. The place became known as Reek's Deadening Community. Dr. Reeks built a church at the site and the church was known as Reek's Deadening Church. Later, another church was built, and it is reported that this was the first building at what is now the village of Dodson. Uncle Dave Gaar, as he was known then, furnished the lumber and much of the labor for the building. The building was erected in 1884. The lumber was probably hewn at Gaar's Mill. AGRARIAN ECONOMY During this time, much of the economy of Winn Parish was dependent on agriculture. As early as 1853, a booklet put out by the state placed cultivated cotton land in Winn Parish at 1,482 acres. Cotton production for that year was 1,097 bales. When Mike Gaar came to the area, he had good reason to build a gin. The same 1853 booklet sets the population of Winn at 2,628. Of this number 2,032 were free white men, 33 were free Negroes, and 563 were Negro slaves. The Southern Sentinel, an early newspaper in Winnfield, ran an article on Sept. 19, 1860 with a New Orleans dateline. The article gave the cotton quotations as ordinary, 7 @ 8 cents and Middling Fair, 11 « cents and 11 3/4 cents . In 1879, 22,548 acres were under cultivation in Winn Parish, of which 7,379 acres were planted in cotton. In the same year, an article in a Winnfield news sheet says that Hershell V. Johnson of Winn produced 3,002 bales of cotton at an average of 585 pounds of seed and 94,195 pounds of cotton lint. Another paper, The Winn Parish Democrat, dated August 29, 1890, Volume 3, Number 37, has a resolution of the Gaar's Mill Farmers Union on page one. The resolution denounces the Louisiana Lottery as "Morris' La. Lottery Robbing institution...thieving for the monies of earth and the Angels of Hell for the souls of men." The resolution was signed by O. M. Grisham, J. G. Smith, and S. M. Peters, probably all cotton farmers in the area. GAAR'S MILL BOOM Sometime in the late 1800's, probably around 1885, Dave Gaar took over the saw mill, grist mill, and cotton gin that had belonged to his father Mike Adam. Uncle Dave was all around the area helping in the settlement of the forest. A ver old picture in the 1952 Centennial edition of the Winn Parish Enterprise shows Uncle Dave at work with an early road working crew. He has a long white beard and is shown with a shovel. Dave Gaar had a son, James W. Gaar. Shortly after Dave took over the operation J. W. joined him and about this time, a general store was constructed and run by P. E. Grisham, who had married one of Michael Adams' daughters. Around 1918, the gin was rebuilt and after the cotton crop of 1925, the gin was rebuilt again. In 1926, the steam engine from the dismantled Germain-Boyd Lumber Company in Atlanta was brought to Gaar's Mill and used in the new gin. Many believe that the engine was used on a steamboat. It is still intact in the gin. Around 1927, business was booming at the Gaar's installed a 55 horse power upright diesel engine for power. This engine was purchased from the Continental Gin Company. It was around this time that a representative of the Garrett Snuff Company was traveling through the country and he nailed three advertisement signs for his product on the side of Gaar's Mill gin. The three signs are still there, through they are barely legible. Edwin Gaar, one of J. W.'s five sons, worked the gin for many years. He now owns a general store at the Gaar's Mill crossroads. Edwin points out that Garrett Snuff is still one of the most popular brands and that it was patented over 100 years ago on Oct. 25, 1870. He said the dots on the bottom of each snuff bottle are believed to represent the strength of the snuff. One dot is supposed to be strongest available, according to Edwin. BOYS RAN GIN Just as the gin had been handed down for father to son for many years, the five sons of J. W. Gaar all had their turns at the business. Sylvester was the oldest son, followed by Willie. Both are deceased now, but a picture in the Enterprise Centennial paper shows Mr. and Mrs. Jim Gaar and their two sons, Sylvester and Willie. The oldest surviving son, Roy, says he worked in the gin many years. He tells of the time that Sylvester was caught in a huller/cleaner and his arm seriously injured. R. V. (Roy) Gaar, the oldest son, says he worked the gin for some 39 years. Middle son, Shelby, had his turn, too. Edwin, the youngest, remembers plowing cotton at the crossroads where his store is now located. He also ginned the last bale of cotton at Gaar's Mill. GIN RE-VISITED The three Gaar brothers returned to their gin last week. The three brothers ran the machinery, walked the cat walks, climbed the ladders and stairways like it was second nature and it is. Edwin said the three brothers operated the gin for many years, working 72 hours in one stretch, trying to beat the market with the cotton crop for higher price. For many years the Gaar's Mill gin produced 3000 bales of cotton per year. In 1956, Edwin Gaar ceased operation with 156 bales.