.· The Mills of Milford, Pennsylvania ·
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.· The Mills of Milford, Pennsylvania ·
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~ INTRODUCTION ~
The production of this guide was part of the Delaware Valley School District’s, Milford, Pennsylvania, local history initiative. It was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with additional funds from the Upper Mill.
The tour of the Jervis Gordon Grist Mill and the historical perspective will provide teachers, students, and the public with the view of science, technology, and history of the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. Also, an appreciation can be gleaned of the vision, skills, and determination of the men and women who made it possible for the growth of inland towns and the subsequent development of the United States of America as an industrial leader.
~ THE MILLS OF MILFORD, PENNSYLVANIA ~
Milford was known as a milling center early in its history. The town’s name was not chosen haphazardly, for "Mill-ford" was indeed descriptive. Thomas Quick, Sr., the earliest know settler, built a saw and grist mill across the town on the Vandermark Creek in 1740. During the 1800s, Milford had nine working water powered mills. Six of them, including the Jervis Gordon Grist Mill, were on the Sawkill Creek. They ground flour and feed, sawed and planed wood, turned wagon spokes, tanned skins for leather, "fulled" cloth (a finishing process), pressed apples for cider and shaved poplar wood into "Excelsior" – a packing and stuffing material used before the days of oil-based plastic foams. Water power was the prime mover for the most basic human needs: food, clothing, and shelter.
~ THE UPPER MILL ~
The first mill
on this site was built between 1804 and 1837 by James Barton. From then until 1868 the
mill was owned by a number of people. In 1868, Jervis Gordon bought the mill in
partnership with William Detrick, but, by 1874, Gordon became the sole owner.
The mill was well adapted to meet local needs. By 1880, the Upper Mill was annually producing over 500,000 lbs of animal feed, 180,000 lbs of corn meal, 60,000 lbs of buckwheat flour (a specialty of the area), 120 barrels of wheat flour, and 150 barrels of rye flour. These products had a market value, in 1880, of $19,760 and were all grown in the rich farmland along the Delaware River. This mill was in operation for the entire year, unlike some mills that ran only part of the year either for lack of water or because of ice. The average workday was 12 hours and skilled workers were paid about $2 per day.
In 1881, the mill was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt, in 1882, with an underground pipe replacing the overhead flume and a turbine that replaced the wooden water wheel. Gordon was the miller until 1899. After two owners and five years later, in 1904, the Rowe Brothers, John and Alanson "Chance" Rowe, purchased the mill to secure the water rights to expand their manufacturing efforts.
~ GRIST MILLING ~
A description of the millstones can be found on the tour section of this guide (see Grist Milling section of the Tour). The stones had to be "dressed" or sharpened after every 50 tons of grain, a job that took the miller up to three full days of painstaking work.The equipment that regulates the flow of grain to the stones is called "furniture." Once the grain was cleaned, it ran automatically into a small hopper on the "horse" – which sits on the wooden cover or "tun" on each run of stones. From the hopper the grain falls into the "shoe" which is vibrated by the "damsel" – a square metal shaft ensuring a steady flow of grain into the "eye" of the runner stone. From there, it is swept slowly outward between the stones as it is ground by the scissor-like pattern or "dress" cut into the face of each stone. By the time it reaches the edge it has been ground to meal and falls into the "spout," then up an elevator and down a chute to be bagged or to a "bolter" to be sifted.
Elevator systems were invented by a Philadelphia millwright names Oliver Evans, in the late 1700s, and revolutionized milling worldwide. The "legs" of the elevator housed a canvas belt with small metal buckets riveted to it to bring products back upstairs after each passage through a piece of equipment in order to fall into a bin or the next machine.
~ "GRINDING DOWN AND TOOLING UP": THE ROWE BROTHERS ~
From 1904 to 1950, the Upper Mill reflected changing times – the day of the Grist Mill was passing. Chance Rowe, being a master mechanic, added a complete modern machine shop after 1904. In 1922, he replaced the turbine with the more efficient and reliable Fitz Steel Overshoot Water Wheel. He built the 20- foot in diameter "master" pulley (see Hydropower Transmission) machining it in place. This made it possible to increase the speed of the slower water wheel. Also, turbines have a vertical power train which is awkward for lathed, planers, and table saws. Having the clutch on the line shaft (see Power to the Millstones) enabled both grist milling and machining to be alternately used. The wood and metalworking shops turned out such items as porch posts, wooden souvenirs, night sticks for NYC police, vases, napkin rings, bowls, gavels and blocks. The gavels and blocks are still used in Milford Borough today.The remnants, that are still operational and viewed during the tour of the complex transmission system, are a fitting monument to a fine millwright.
~ HISTORIC PRESERVATION ~
In 1950, Clyde Rowe, cousin of the Rowe brothers, took over the business. A devastating flood, in 1955, caused severe damage along all local waterways making it difficult to sustain the milling operations as it had been prior to the flood. Milling at the Upper Mill came to an end in the late 1950s.Over the year, the mill building has been used as a hardware store, antique shop, and clothing boutique – all the while the "mechanical marvels" stood silent. However, in 1984, the property was bought by the Water Wheel Group. These dedicated individuals sought to restore the property creating an amalgam of the late 19th and early 20th centuries building and hydropower technology, supported by present day business ventures utilizing space in the National Historic District.
The educational trove brings to life the driving force of previous generations to shape the world we live in. The mechanical marvels move forth once again.
~ A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE UPPER MILL ~
1837: |
John Barton ran the original mill on this site. |
| 1837-1868: | The mill was owned in half shares by a variety of owners. |
| 1868: | Jervis Gordon bought the mill in partnership with William Detrick. |
| 1874: | Detrick sold his half share to Gordon. |
| 1881: | Fire destroyed the mill. |
| 1882-1899: | Gordon rebuilt the mill installing a new turbine to replace the wooden water wheel. He was a lifetime millwright and adapted the milling techniques to keep up with the changing times. Milling of buckwheat was a thriving business. |
| 1899-1904: | The mill had two different owners. |
| 1904-1950: | The mill was bought by the Rowe brothers, John Rowe and Alanson "Chance" Rowe. They built an addition for the manufacturing of wooden souvenirs. In 1922, they replaced the turbine with the Fitz Steel Overshoot Water Wheel. |
| 1955: | Devastating flood damaged the waterways impacting on the milling operations. The late 1950s saw the end to milling at the Upper Mill. |
| Circa 1950-1984: | The mill became a hardware store. In 1968, Chandler Saint had an antique shop and clothing boutique. In 1979, he sought a grant to adapt the water wheel to generate electricity. |
| 1984-Present: | The Water Wheel Group bought the mill, restored the parts of the milling system for educational activities. It became known as the Jervis Gordon Grist Mill Historic District and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Jervis Gordon Grist Mill Historic District is commonly known as "The Upper Mill." |
