Vintage mint still could take place of honor on National Historic Register

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," the old saying goes.

That expression is particularly true about places that have become such a part of the landscape that they literally blend into it.

Like the "old" Crosby mint still on US-27 south of St. Johns.

Hundreds of local residents drive past the frame building with the unique brick smokestack every day without a glance. It’s "always" been there – nothing special about it.

A fresh set of eyes with an equally novel perspective on architecture sees the structure much differently.

To Ephraim Smith, Ph.D., a professor of history at California State University, Fresno, the mint still like Crosby’s that dot the countryside around St. Johns are part the nation’s rich, rural heritage. He’s hoping to help earn a spot in the history books for the structures and the industry they supported.

"This is a building type that needs recognition; it appears to be something that architectural historians have missed," Smith says of the eroding buildings that date back to the 1920s. "I haven’t really seen any literature on mint stills."

The nationally recognized historic preservationist made a trip from California to the area recently, visiting the old Crosby mint still and other distilleries around St. Johns with some local mint farmers who provided background information on the specialty agricultural crop. "Tour guides" were Dick Woodhams, J.E. and Larry Crosby and Tom Irrer.

The mint producers are pleased that the buildings that played a special role in local history may soon get some well-deserved recognition.

"Dr. Smith is very interested in these buildings," Woodhams said. "We’re glad to have someone with his background and experience be so enthusiastic."

The professor’s visit was a first step in the research project on mint stills and the industry. The published historian will use the information to produce a paper on mint stills that he will present this fall at the annual meeting of the Pioneer America Society.

In his role as an independent historic preservationist consultant, Dr. Smith will also attempt to determine if a local mint still may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. He has prepared National Register nominations for a number of sites in California, and conducted preservation studies for numerous buildings and locales.

Although the historian’s research on mint stills is in a very preliminary phase, he is encouraged by his initial findings.

"The buildings are so attractive and so unique; they certainly deserve some recognition," Dr. Smith said. "Based on what I’ve seen so far, this type of building could be eligible for the National Historic Register – and the Crosby still could be a likely candidate."

While his academic specialization at Johns Hopkin University where he received his Ph.D. was American diplomatic history, Dr. Smith’s "roots" led to his interest in historic preservation in general – and barns in particular. He was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Grosse Pointe, and attended Hillsdale College. His tenure at California State University, located in the San Joaquin Valley, placed him in some of the richest agricultural land in the U.S.

"Although I was living, and had lived, in some of the greatest agricultural parts of the country, I realized there was much I didn’t know that I should have," Dr. Smith said of his beginning interest in the nation’s agricultural heritage and barn preservation.

Subsequent research on specialty barns led to his delivery of a paper on fig barns used in California. His interest in the old mint stills was sparked last summer during a trip through Michigan and other midwestern states when he was photographing barns for his historical research.

"I was driving through the countryside south of St. Johns when I spotted what appeared to be the ruins of a house," Smith said," and was especially intrigued by the large chimney stack. "When I got up close to it, there was a huge boiler and two old vats inside – I didn’t know what I was looking at."

After taking numerous slides of the building, Smith walked to a neighboring house where he learned the structure was an old mint still. He also obtained the name and telephone number of Woodhams, who provided initial information on the local mint industry and helped arrange for Smith’s return two weeks ago.

During coming months, Dr. Smith will continue his investigation of the mint industry nationwide. He plans to visit sites in Indiana, California, and the Pacific Northwest, prior to an extended stay in Michigan this July when he will observe the mint harvest with his local hosts.

"We need to establish dates of construction for the existing mint stills, and determine where the oldest still in Michigan is located," Smith said.

Now… the rest of the story

J.E.’s recollections of St. Johns mint history are part of Smith presentation

Information and historical background on the old Crosby mint still played a prominent role in a presentation by Dr. Smith in October 1997 for the Pioneer America Society, held in Dearborn. He also used the information in a similar presentation in January 1998 before the Mint Industry Research Council, held in Las Vegas, NV.

Following is the portion of the presentation that deals with the old Crosby mint still.

"The Crosby still in St. Johns, Michigan, also illustrates the evolutionary process of stills. J. E. Crosby Sr. was one of the pioneer mint growers in Clinton County. Initially, he hauled his first mint in two wagons north into Gratiot County where it was distilled. Becoming a major mint producer, Crosby stilled his mint in a one tub open still constructed on his property.

Subsequently in 1936, Crosby constructed a more substantial enclosed two-tub still with a large boiler enclosed in brick. A steam pump fed water to the condensers from a nearby creek and (later) a well. The hay was brought to the Crosby still, and hand pitched from the truck into the two stationary tubs. As that is being done, a wagon is leaving the still with a load of spent charges.

By the late ‘40s, farmers in the St. Johns area were switching to round portable tanks on wagons. According to J. E. Crosby, Jr. (grandson of J. E. Crosby, Sr.) some local growers were using wagons containing two tanks, each half the height of a normal tub. These tanks were loaded in the field, the wagon hauled to the still, and the packed hay hoisted by a steam engine into the stationary tubs. The load from the two half tubs filled one stationary tub.

Rather than move in this direction, Esther and Lawrence Crosby switched in 1948 to open rectangular tanks similar to those being used on the West Coast. The tanks were custom made in Flint, Michigan. These new open rectangular tanks were loaded in the field with a chopper.

J. E. Crosby Jr. believes that they were one of the first in that area to use this type of container. That year, J. E., only 18 years old, ran the still while his father, Lawrence, operated the new chopper in the fields. During this stilling season in 1948 using the new equipement, J. E. later recalled, there seemed to be an almost continuous stream of visitors. Within a year, other local growers had switched to the open trailers on a wagon or trucks. The tubs, after being kept for a year in place, were then scrapped.

Because increasing traffic on an adjacent highway interfered with the transporting of mint, the Crosbys constructed a new still in 1968 about a quarter of a mile down a nearby side road. By this time, the Crosbys were using the domed trailers filled from the front. The old wood-framed still has become for many local residents a symbol of their history and the once prominent position St. Johns held in the mint industry. It is presently being restored by the Crosby family."