One of many stories I reported was the effort by a group of interested volunteers to restore the Beckman Mill.
There had been a story in the local paper about the idea and it sounded like a good story to share.
Memories of my first trip to the decrepit mill came to mind on my return trip 25 years later.
Just a look at what was left of the 120-year-old structure (upper right) provides a partial picture of the work in front of the determined visionaries.
I was just a kid, relatively speaking. To get from my car to the mill required walking over rough ground, through high weeds, and around forgotten debris left by time. Where the pond should have been was a sea of cattails and marsh.
Like so many other stories, this one offered a narrative. Citizens see a problem or way to create something better. Citizens go to work and mobilize others to the cause. Sometimes walls get in the way of realizing the dream. Not enough money. Too many regulations. Or a job that's too big.Yet, they persevered. I left Channel 3 in 1992. Work had begun, but I lost track. It was on to the next story, then the next, and the one after that.
I remember walking through one of those open doors while shooting video to illustrate the enormity of the job. Later, after leaving television news we lived in Augusta (near Eau Claire, Wis.) which had a historic grist mill of its own.
The working mill made me think about the friends of Beckman Mill and wondered if they ever made progress to the goal.
Then last Saturday, I came across an online story of the Janesville Gazette. It described the celebration after 25 years of work. I had to see it.
While taking a tour of the restored mill the guide, former parks director for Rock County, said he thought I looked familiar.
I told him about my connection and how happy I was to see the finished product.
Now with a second return to Wisconsin on my resume, I hope to revisit the mill again to take photos and revisit history.
Maybe I'll see you there.
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