The Gillett Brothers and the Mid Nineteenth Century Black Powder Mill,Portage County,Ohio: An Entrepreneurship Presaging the Industrial Era

Pioneers who settled in the Ohio country in the beginning of the 19th century were faced with many challenges in addition to survival. Among them was a need to discover and exploit the natural resources of the land. The availability of explosive powder became an important ingredient for economic development. The availability of water for power and transportation encouraged some entrepreneurs to invest in the powder mill industry with the hope of wealth. This article addresses an investigation and discovery of an almost forgotten black powder mill in northeast Ohio which has now become a historic resource for the community.