Free Bloomfield Event Will Shed Light On ‘Early Morris Mills’ History

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Historical Society of Bloomfield will present “The History of the Early Morris Mills in Bloomfield’s Brookdale Section” with local resident Mark Wiley on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Wiley is a long-time resident of Bloomfield who has worked as an engineer at Lummus since 1981. His hobby is conducting historical and genealogical research, with a special interest in mills, as some of Wiley’s ancestors were millers, organizers said.

Here’s what to expect at the free, public event, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Bloomfield Civic Center, 84 Broad Street:

“Wiley will provide a presentation on the saw and grist mills that the Morris family built in the Brookdale section of Bloomfield. The Morris family settled in Bloomfield in the late 1600s and built a saw mill in 1702 (fed by what is now Clarks Pond). A short time later, the Morris family built a downstream grist mill located near Bay Avenue … Wiley has done extensive research on the Morris family and will explain in his presentation the mechanical workings of both saw and grist mills, as well as show videos of operating mills. Additionally, he will provide a history of the Morris family, including Ephraim Morris, the inventor of the Morris Canal inclined plane mechanism.”

For more information, contact info@hsob.org.

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