October at the Mill: Light, Grain, and Memory

As the wheel turns through the golden hush of autumn, The Mill at Anselma becomes more than a historical site; it becomes a mirror of the season itself. October is a month of change: of harvests gathered, of stories remembered, and of light meeting shadow. Across cultures and centuries, people have marked this time with festivals that honor the past, prepare for winter, and give thanks for what the land provides. The Mill, with its centuries-old rhythm of turning grain into sustenance, is uniquely tied to each of these traditions: Halloween, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and Diwali.

Halloween: The Spirit of the Season

Long before Halloween became costumes and candy, it was rooted in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead grew thin. Fires were lit to ward off spirits, and people honored their ancestors as they prepared for the cold, dark months ahead.

In early American agrarian communities, including those surrounding The Mill at Anselma, similar feelings of transition and uncertainty shaped the rhythm of the season. Crops had to be gathered, grain brought to the mill, and food preserved before winter took hold. The Mill was at the heart of this process. As the days shortened and the last of the grain arrived, the mill’s creaking wood, turning stones, and the rush of water beneath the floor may have stirred imaginations just as much then as they do now.

The building itself, shadowed, echoing, and old, invites a sense of mystery that connects directly to Halloween’s ancient themes. It stands today as both a place of work and of memory, where the season’s eerie atmosphere finds a perfect home.