First written entry 1750 (≈ 1750)
Certified on Cassini's cards.
1943
Partial modernization
Partial modernization 1943 (≈ 1943)
Replacement of wood gear by metal.
1960
End of milling activity
End of milling activity 1960 (≈ 1960)
Final stop of mill.
26 août 2010
Official protection
Official protection 26 août 2010 (≈ 2010)
Inventory listing MH.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The mill in its entirety (see E 249) , its mechanism , its windmill (see D 122), beef [see E 122 - downstream beef, D 129 - upstream beef], valves, weirs [see E 123, 124] ; the facades and roofs of agricultural buildings (granges, stables and pig roofs) (see Box E 120): registration by order of 26 August 2010
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
The source text does not mention any specific historical actors.
Origin and history
The Pont-Thibault mill, certified in 1750 on the maps of Cassini, is a modest but emblematic example of solognote rural architecture. Built in brick and torchi wood panels, it is distinguished by the preservation of its original mechanism, partially modernized in 1943 with the replacement of the wooden gear by a metal system. It was completed by a miller's house and agricultural buildings and was active until 1960, showing local milling activity for more than two centuries.
In the 1980s, a study of Sologne's hydraulic sites revealed the massive disappearance of mills since the 1950s, often dismantled to give way to secondary residences. This context highlighted the scarcity of the Pont-Thibault mill, protected in 2010 for its role as a fragile witness to solognote culture, notably after the disappearance of the renowned mills of Romorantin and Lamotte-Beuvron. Its listing in the inventory of Historic Monuments covers the entire mill, its mechanism, its sales office, as well as the facades of adjacent agricultural buildings.
The mill illustrates a page in the economic history of Sologne, a region marked by its ponds and milling activity. Although its historical interest is considered limited compared to other missing sites, it remains one of the last tangible remains of this rural industrial heritage. Its location on the Beuvron, tributary of the Cher, and its state of conservation make it a geographical and cultural marker for the commune of Chaon and its surroundings.
