On June 28, Friends of Historic Heishmans Mill (FHHM) put on a free-of-charge event at Heishmans Mill, a historic water power mill along the Conodoguinet Creek just west of Carlisle, Pa. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mill property is operated by the FHHM, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation committed to increasing public access to the Conodoguinet Creek Water Trail and insuring the ongoing preservation of the mill through educational programs. In that effort, volunteers staged the inaugural Woodcarvers Expo in the Spirit of Schimmel show. One of the goals was to educate the public on the legacy of Wilhelm Schimmel, one of the nations foremost folk artists. Schimmel (1817-1890) was a German-speaking immigrant who is known to have spent time in the summer kitchen across the road from the mill, throughout the 1870s, then owned and operated by the Greiders. Schimmel created mostly animals, such as roosters and eagles. Through 19th-century published newspaper accounts and arrest reports, it is known he was an itinerant tramp who was routinely involved in altercations. He died in the county almshouse in 1890. Never signed, hundreds of wooden carved and painted folk carvings attributed to Schimmel have survived. Countless more have been destroyed and lost over the last 150 years. Today, every major American art museum has an example of an attributed Schimmel carving. A great grandson of the last operating miller, Randy Heishman purchased the mill in 2019 from Preservation Pennsylvania. A Schimmel enthusiast, Heishman stated the event attracted just under 300 people. The show wouldnt have happened without Heishman and the dedicated volunteers. Woodcarvers set up displays, demonstrated their craft, and sold their work inside the mill. Those included Andy Van Brookhoven of Lititz, Paul Hoch of Carlisle, Jim and Joan Hiser of Carlisle Springs, and Dan Strawser Jr. of Tennessee, among others. Jim Small of Shippensburg demonstrated the application of gesso undercoating on his exceptional Schimmel-style spread-wing eagles. Small is a highly skilled wood carver and furniture maker. He also had wooden stools for sale he made in the style of the famous Wharton Esherick. Jay and Leigh Ann Ouellette of Stone House History were also exhibitors. A food truck was on-site, lectures were presented, and feedback from attendees was very positive. A display of various contemporary Schimmel-influenced carvings were available for purchase from such carvers as Rodney Boyer, Jonathan Bastian, Walter and June Gottshall, Phil Gottshall, and others. An unusual Rodney Boyer spread-wing eagle was sold, as was work by the late couple Walter and June Gottshall. Here is to hoping the Spirit of Schimmel woodcarving expo can become an annual tradition. To learn more, email Randy Heishman at heish1@aol.com or visit www.friendsofheishmansmill.org.