Newlin Mill Complex
Encyclopedia
The Newlin Mill Complex, a water powered gristmill
on the west branch of Chester Creek
near Concordville, Pennsylvania
, USA, was built in 1704 by Nathaniel and Mary Newlin and operated commercially until 1941. During its three centuries of operation, the mill has been known as the Lower Mill, the Markham Mill, the Seventeen-O-Four Mill and the Concord Flour Mill. In 1958 the mill property was bought by E. Mortimer Newlin, restored and given to the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to use as a historical park. Water power is still used to grind corn meal which is sold on site. The park includes 5 historical buildings, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983, and 150 acres (61 ha) of natural woodland.
, an Englishman who lived in the Quaker town of Mountmellick
, then in Queens County
, Ireland
, emigrated to Pennsylvania
with his family because of religious persecution. He arrived with his wife, Elizabeth, and children, Nathaniel, Rachel, and John, in May 1683 on the ship Levee from Liverpool. In October he bought land from William Penn
and settled in Concord Township
, about ten miles (16 km) northwest of the town of Chester
. He was a prominent citizen, serving on the province's governing body, the Provincial Council in 1686 and 1687, as a Justice of the Peace, and on the Courts of Chester County
.
His son, Nathaniel, built the present mill, the third grist mill in the township. Nathaniel also served as a Justice of the Peace, and on the Courts of Chester County, and served in the Provincial Assembly from 1698 to 1722. Through inheritance from his father and his wife's family, and by purchase of 7750 acres (31.4 km²) that became Newlin Township, he became one of the largest landowners in Chester County.
In 1739 the grandson of Nathaniel, Nathaniel Newlin III, built a house for the head miller. In 1742 neighboring grist mill owners, William and Anne Trimble, built a house overlooking the Newlin mill. A mile to the west in the village of Concordville
, Nathaniel's son Nicholas built another house
in 1742; this is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1777 the Battle of Brandywine
was fought within a few miles of the mill. General George Washington
had ordered the removal of millstones from nearby mills to hinder the supply of British troops, but there are no records of the order’s effect on Newlin Mill.
Southeastern Pennsylvania was the leading producer of grain in the colonial period and mills could be easily powered by the steep descent of the streams, called the fall line
, in the area. By 1781 there were 127 gristmills in Chester County, which then included present-day Delaware County
. The Newlin mill only served local and domestic needs and was known as a "country mill" rather than a "merchant mill" which would produce finer flour for urban and export markets.
The Newlin family owned the mill until 1817, selling to William Trimble, Jr. Thomas Newlin, who died in 1811, had remarried after his wife's death. Disagreements between his two sets of children resulted in a judgement of $11,326.30 against his estate, forcing the sale of the mill.
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
was built through the property in 1859; this allowed the mill to market its flour in Philadelphia and Baltimore. A railway station was built in 1868 and Samuel Hill bought the mill in 1869. In 1942 the mill stopped commercial production and the buildings were used temporarily as a bookstore and an antique store. In 1956 Nicholas’s eighth-generation descendant, E. Mortimer Newlin, purchased the property and later formed the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to restore and preserve the mill. Restorations were completed in 1962, and again in 1992.
, which provides the water that powers the mill, were built the same year. The original grindstone was imported from France. The mill was built of fieldstone into a hillside: the north side two stories, the south side one story high. The mill wheel was originally outside the mill and was probably breastshot It was reconstructed in 1976, weighs 1500 pounds (680 kg) and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) by 4 feet (1.2 m), with 52 buckets. The water exits underground through the tail race and travels about 150 yards (137 m) back to Chester Creek. The floors and mill machinery are supported by a hurst frame, an inner timber frame that is separated from the outer stone walls so that vibrations do not break the outer walls. The process of grinding the corn may be viewed at the mill or on video.
Sometime after 1817 William Trimble expanded the mill and enclosed the mill wheel. It ground about 60,000 bushels of corn per year at that time. Sometime before 1850 the mill was refitted according to the Oliver Evans
automated mill design and began to grind wheat flour. In 1850 owner Casper Sharpless purchased 20,000 bushels of wheat for $22,000 and sold flour worth $30,000.
In 1870 the following products were produced.
At that time the mill had four mill stones and two wooden overshot water wheels with a 24 feet (7.3 m) fall, producing about 20 hp. A wood framed upper story was added about 1890.
about 12 miles (19 km) north in West Whiteland Township
which was built in the early 19th century by William Newlin and listed separately in the National Register of Historic Places.
Sellers, Nicholas, Short History of Newlin Grist Mill, Ch. 2 in
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 :...
on the west branch of Chester Creek
Chester Creek
thumb|upright=1.45|Chester Creek near [[Upland, Pennsylvania]]Chester Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States.-East Branch:...
near Concordville, Pennsylvania
Concordville, Pennsylvania
Concordville is an unincorporated community in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 20 miles west-southwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of U.S. Routes 1 and 322. This intersection can be traced back to two of the earliest roads in Pennsylvania,...
, USA, was built in 1704 by Nathaniel and Mary Newlin and operated commercially until 1941. During its three centuries of operation, the mill has been known as the Lower Mill, the Markham Mill, the Seventeen-O-Four Mill and the Concord Flour Mill. In 1958 the mill property was bought by E. Mortimer Newlin, restored and given to the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to use as a historical park. Water power is still used to grind corn meal which is sold on site. The park includes 5 historical buildings, which were added to the 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...
in 1983, and 150 acres (61 ha) of natural woodland.
History
Nicholas Newlin, a member of the Religious Society of FriendsReligious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, an Englishman who lived in the Quaker town of Mountmellick
Mountmellick
Other than that its a 15th-century settlement on the narrow Owenass river with an encampment on its banks at Irishtown. Overlooking this valley with its trees and wildlife was a small church called Kilmongan which was closed by the Penal Laws in 1640...
, then in Queens County
Queens County
Queens County or Queen's County is the name of:*Queens County, New Brunswick, Canada*Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada*Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Canada** former Queen's County...
, 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...
, emigrated to 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...
with his family because of religious persecution. He arrived with his wife, Elizabeth, and children, Nathaniel, Rachel, and John, in May 1683 on the ship Levee from Liverpool. In October he bought land 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...
and settled in Concord Township
Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Concord Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,933 at the 2000 census. Concord is pronounced "conquered," not "Concorde."-Geography:...
, about ten miles (16 km) northwest of the town of Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
. He was a prominent citizen, serving on the province's governing body, the Provincial Council in 1686 and 1687, as a Justice of the Peace, and on the Courts of Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
.
His son, Nathaniel, built the present mill, the third grist mill in the township. Nathaniel also served as a Justice of the Peace, and on the Courts of Chester County, and served in the Provincial Assembly from 1698 to 1722. Through inheritance from his father and his wife's family, and by purchase of 7750 acres (31.4 km²) that became Newlin Township, he became one of the largest landowners in Chester County.
In 1739 the grandson of Nathaniel, Nathaniel Newlin III, built a house for the head miller. In 1742 neighboring grist mill owners, William and Anne Trimble, built a house overlooking the Newlin mill. A mile to the west in the village of Concordville
Concordville, Pennsylvania
Concordville is an unincorporated community in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 20 miles west-southwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of U.S. Routes 1 and 322. This intersection can be traced back to two of the earliest roads in Pennsylvania,...
, Nathaniel's son Nicholas built another house
Nicholas Newlin House
The Nicholas Newlin House was built in 1742 in Concordville, Pennsylvania by Nicholas Newlin, about a mile west of the Newlin Mill Complex. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972....
in 1742; this is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1777 the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
was fought within a few miles of the mill. General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
had ordered the removal of millstones from nearby mills to hinder the supply of British troops, but there are no records of the order’s effect on Newlin Mill.
Southeastern Pennsylvania was the leading producer of grain in the colonial period and mills could be easily powered by the steep descent of the streams, called the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
, in the area. By 1781 there were 127 gristmills in Chester County, which then included present-day Delaware County
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
. The Newlin mill only served local and domestic needs and was known as a "country mill" rather than a "merchant mill" which would produce finer flour for urban and export markets.
The Newlin family owned the mill until 1817, selling to William Trimble, Jr. Thomas Newlin, who died in 1811, had remarried after his wife's death. Disagreements between his two sets of children resulted in a judgement of $11,326.30 against his estate, forcing the sale of the mill.
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
was built through the property in 1859; this allowed the mill to market its flour in Philadelphia and Baltimore. A railway station was built in 1868 and Samuel Hill bought the mill in 1869. In 1942 the mill stopped commercial production and the buildings were used temporarily as a bookstore and an antique store. In 1956 Nicholas’s eighth-generation descendant, E. Mortimer Newlin, purchased the property and later formed the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to restore and preserve the mill. Restorations were completed in 1962, and again in 1992.
| Ownership of Mill Site | ||||||
| Ownership dates | Owner (lifespan) | |||||
| September 24, 1683 -1685 |
Nicholas Newlin (1630–1699) | Bought 500 acres (202 ha) from William Penn | ||||
| April 17, 1685 -1729 |
Nathaniel Newlin (1663–1729) | Given 250 acres (101 ha) as a wedding present Built mill 1704 |
||||
| 1729–1768 | Nicholas Newlin (1689–1768) | Inherited land and mill from his father | ||||
| 1768–1811 | Thomas Newlin (1747–1811) | Inherited land and mill from his father | ||||
| 1811–1817 | Benjamin Newlin (1784–1873) | Inherited land and mill from his father Sold land to pay for inheritance lawsuit |
||||
| July 31, 1817 -1829 |
William Trimble (1766–1842) | Bought 26 acres (11 ha), mill and 2 houses for $9,005 | ||||
| 1829–1835 | Abraham Sharpless (1748–1835) | Bought 26 acres (11 ha), mill and 2 houses for $5,500 | ||||
| 1835–1869 | Casper Sharpless (1805–1865) | Inherited land and mill from his father Mill unsold for 4 years after his death |
||||
| April 21, 1869 -1880 |
John H. Hill (1799–1880) | Relative of the Newlins Bought mill and land for $25,500 |
||||
| 1880–1929 | Samuel Newlin Hill (1842–1929) | Inherited land and mill from his father | ||||
| 1929–1942 | William W. Hill (1863–1943) | Inherited land and mill from his father Active mill operation ceased 1942 |
||||
| October 27, 1942 -1956 |
Daniel I. Conlon | Intended to convert to a residence | ||||
| March 2, 1956 -1960 |
E. Mortimer Newlin (1898–1977) | 7th generation descendent of Nathaniel Newlin First purchase included mill, warehouse, miller's house and 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
||||
| December 2, 1960 -present |
Nicholas Newlin Foundation | Founded by E. Mortimer Newlin to preserve the mill | ||||
| From Nicholas Sellers, Short History of Newlin Grist Mill, p. 22. | ||||||
Mill
The mill measures 35 feet (11 m) wide by 70 feet (21 m) long. A date stone on an exterior wall is marked "Nathan'l Mary Newlin 1704." The dam and the half-mile mill raceMill race
A mill race, raceway or mill lade is the current or channel of a stream, especially one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy...
, which provides the water that powers the mill, were built the same year. The original grindstone was imported from France. The mill was built of fieldstone into a hillside: the north side two stories, the south side one story high. The mill wheel was originally outside the mill and was probably breastshot It was reconstructed in 1976, weighs 1500 pounds (680 kg) and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) by 4 feet (1.2 m), with 52 buckets. The water exits underground through the tail race and travels about 150 yards (137 m) back to Chester Creek. The floors and mill machinery are supported by a hurst frame, an inner timber frame that is separated from the outer stone walls so that vibrations do not break the outer walls. The process of grinding the corn may be viewed at the mill or on video.
Sometime after 1817 William Trimble expanded the mill and enclosed the mill wheel. It ground about 60,000 bushels of corn per year at that time. Sometime before 1850 the mill was refitted according to the Oliver Evans
Oliver Evans
Oliver Evans was an American inventor. Evans was born in Newport, Delaware to a family of Welsh settlers. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a wheelwright....
automated mill design and began to grind wheat flour. In 1850 owner Casper Sharpless purchased 20,000 bushels of wheat for $22,000 and sold flour worth $30,000.
In 1870 the following products were produced.
| 1870 production | ||||||
| Products | Amount purchased | Purchase cost | Milled product | Amount produced | Gross revenue | |
| wheat | 25,000 bu. | $31,250 | flour | 5,000 bu. | $35,000 | |
| corn | 25,000 bu. | $22,500 | meal | 750 tons | $25,000 | |
| other | 1,000 bu. | $600 | meal | 35 tons | $1,600 | |
| plaster | 225 tons | $1,575 | plaster | 225 tons | $2,000 | |
| From Nicholas Sellers, Short History of Newlin Grist Mill, p. 37. Data from the Federal Manufacturing Census of 1870. | ||||||
At that time the mill had four mill stones and two wooden overshot water wheels with a 24 feet (7.3 m) fall, producing about 20 hp. A wood framed upper story was added about 1890.
Warehouse
The warehouse is a -story stone building to the east of the lower level of the mill. It was built by Nathaniel Newlin after he built the mill to use as a dry goods store. It now serves as the Foundation's archive.Miller's house
Built in 1739 of stone, it is adjacent to the south side of the mill. There are two rooms on each of the two floors, with a fireplace in each room, and a beehive oven attached to the kitchen. A third story was added about 1860 and removed during a restoration in the 1960s. This house should not be confused with the Newlin Miller's HouseNewlin Miller's House
The Newlin Miller's House was built by William Newlin in the early nineteenth century in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the narrow valley of Little Broad Run, a tributary of the East Branch of Brandywine Creek. William inherited the land from his father, John Newlin,...
about 12 miles (19 km) north in West Whiteland Township
West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
West Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,274 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which , or 0.15%, is water....
which was built in the early 19th century by William Newlin and listed separately in the National Register of Historic Places.
Trimble House
This house was built into the hill above the mill and the miller’s house in 1742, also with four rooms. It was expanded by 1765 to accommodate William Trimble’s growing family . It has nine fireplaces, a 53 feet (16 m) deep well and much of the original flooring, woodwork, doors, and hardware. The Newlin Foundation bought the house in 1998 and it is used as a private residence.Railway station
The -story Gothic-style station was originally built in 1868–1869 by Samuel Hill. It served as a post office and polling station for the community of mill workers in the area. It burned down in 1890 and was rebuilt the next year, serving as a railway station until the 1930s. It is used now as the park office.Park
The five original buildings form the core of a 150 acres (61 ha) park, which is mostly natural woodlands. A 1710 springhouse from a local farm was moved to the park in the 1970s and a small barn was moved from northern Delaware to the area behind the miller’s house. In 1965 a log cabin was constructed, which is used for meetings, receptions, and parties. A new “18th Century” blacksmith shop replica was constructed in 1975. Tennis courts and a ball field are also included in the park.Sources
Wallace, Antony F.C., The Mystique of Old Mills, Ch. 1 inSellers, Nicholas, Short History of Newlin Grist Mill, Ch. 2 in
External links
- Newlin Grist Mill - official site
- Mill interior structure
- Millpictures.com