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The 2012 California Governor’s Historic Preservation Awards were presented on November
29th at Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento. There were a total of
11 projects or individuals that received awards. What follows is the presentation made at the
awards ceremony about one of the 2012 award winners. Restoration of Bale Grist Mill’s
Historic Grain Cleaning and Sifting System This award recognizes the Napa Valley State
Parks Association, which in 2006 undertook the six-year process of completing the final
stage of restoring the Bale Grist Mill—restoring its historic grain cleaning and sifting system.
Bale Grist Mill, with its original set of French Buhr stones and 36-foot redwood waterwheel,
is the only water-powered grist mill still standing in California. The mill building,
waterwheel and basic mill operation were restored by State Parks in the 1980s, but funds were
exhausted before they could tackle restoration of the hand-built grain-cleaning and sifting
system, which was left stacked in pieces. After evaluation by a millwright, the Association
undertook the process of completing the final stage of the mill restoration. Funds from
the Napa Valley Community Foundation, California State Parks Foundation, Proposition 84 Volunteer
Enhancement Funds, a generous mill supporter, and numerous community members contributed
to fund the restoration, a feat that is both note- and award-worthy. Without that dedication,
Californians would lack access to the now fully-restored Bale Grist Mill and the story
it tells of rural life in the Napa Valley in the 1850s and 1860s. Another way the Association
has pursued its mission “to preserve, interpret, and enhance public awareness of our Napa Valley
State Parks” was put into motion in 2011, when it was announced that Bale Grist Mill
State Historic Park and its neighboring Bothe-Napa Valley State Park were on the closure list.
The Association now partners with the Napa County Regional Parks and Open Space District
to jointly operate Ball Grist Mill and Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. Congratulations to all
the winners of the 2012 California Governor’s Historic Preservation Awards. Please view
the additional videos available on this site for information about the other 2012 awards.
For more information about this awards program, visit www.ohp.parks.ca.gov/governorsawards.