Farmar Mill is a historic mill building. The mill was powered by the Wissahickon Creek

Wissahickon Creek

Wissahickon Creek is a stream in southeastern Pennsylvania. Rising in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, it runs about 23 miles passing through and dividing Northwest Philadelphia before emptying into the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia...

 and is located on Mather's Lane near Skippack Pike (Pennsylvania Route 73

Pennsylvania Route 73

Pennsylvania Route 73 is a 62.51 miles long east–west state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 61 in Leesport to the New Jersey state line on the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge in Philadelphia, where it continues as New Jersey Route 73.Predating the Interstate...

), and just west of the historic Bethlehem Pike

Bethlehem Pike

Bethlehem Pike is a historic 41 mi  long road in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, connecting Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It began as a Native American path called the Minsi Trail which evolved into a colonial highway called the King's Road in the 1760s. Most of the route...

 in the village of Whitemarsh (near Fort Washington

Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Fort Washington is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.-Prior to the Revolutionary War:...

), Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The water-powered

Watermill

A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...

 gristmill

Gristmill

The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

 was built around the year 1690 by Edward Farmar. Farmar's father was a British army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 officer living in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 who had purchased a 5000 acres (2,023.4 ha) parcel of land in Pennsylvania

Province of Pennsylvania

The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...

 from William Penn

William Penn

William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...

. This tract contained most of what is present-day Whitemarsh Township

Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania

Whitemarsh Township is a Home Rule Municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. However, it maintains its former classification of "Township" in its official name. The population was 17,349 at the 2010 census.-History:...

. Farmar's father died before he could move his family to America, but his mother brought the family to American in 1685, settling in the area of present-day Fort Washington.

Farmar Mill was the original terminus for Skippack Pike, which was established in 1713. By 1722, a road also existed from Farmar Mill, through the village of Three Tuns

Three Tuns, Pennsylvania

Three Tuns is an unincorporated community located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The community is in Upper Dublin Township, northeast of the Borough of Ambler and west of Horsham....

, to Richard Saunders' ferry, on the Neshaminy Creek

Neshaminy Creek

Neshaminy Creek is a stream that runs southeast through Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Neshaminy Creek proper rises south of the borough of Chalfont, where North Branch Neshaminy Creek and West Branch Neshaminy Creek meet. Neshaminy Creek flows lastly between Bristol Township and Bensalem Township...

 (later the village of Bridge Point, now Edison) in Bucks County

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

.

In 1740, Quaker businessman Samuel Morris bought a one-half interest in the mill, and bought the remaining half interest after Farmar's death in 1746. During the period of 1743 and 1748, Morris was building his country mansion "Whitemarsh Estate" (later known as Hope Lodge

Hope Lodge

Hope Lodge is a historic building located at 553 South Bethlehem Pike in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States.-History:Originally named "Whitemarsh Estate," Hope Lodge is a Georgian country mansion built between 1743 and 1748 by Quaker businessman Samuel Morris and designed by...

) a mere stone's throw from Farmar's Mill. After Morris' death in 1770, his brother Joshua sold the mill and 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of land to Isaac Mather, whose son Joseph built the present mill in 1820.

Farmar Mill is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Today, Farmar Mill is part of a museum and historic site at Hope Lodge operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...

. Due to concerns of structural integrity, the building is not open to the public.