Evans-Mumbower Mill History Grinds Visitors to a Halt

On Sunday afternoon, the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association held its monthly open house at The Evans-Mumbower Mill. 

The mill, located at Swedesford and Township Line roads in Upper Gwynedd, is in the process of being fully restored to a water-powered mill. 

The rain did little to dampen the turnout of visitors eager to lean about the mill's operation and tour the historical building.  The visitors were treated to a DVD presentation on the history of the mill, followed by guided tours of the entire mill operation from the ground up.  

The mill was water-powered when fully operational and served the farmers in the surrounding communities. 

Wheat was a huge crop in our area in the 1800s and mills were the nerve center of the farming community.  While waiting for their crops to be ground into flour, the miller's office served as a meeting and socializing place for area farmers. 

The wall in the miller's office is still covered with remnants of newspaper clippings from the times. It's like looking at a Facebook page from over 150 years ago. 

The one most visitor's find interesting is the print of Abraham Lincoln taking the oath of office. The image can still be made out after 150 years on the wall.

The indicate there was a mill on the site as early as 1744 and the current building dates back to 1835.  The mill was in continuous use from 1835 until it closed in 1929. It sat abandoned and in disrepair until the WVWA stepped in to purchase the building and save the history of our community. 

The WVWA began its most ambitious project – constructing a wooden water wheel and returning the mill to operation – in 2008.  The project was finished in 2010 and now the millstones turn once again with the help of electricity.  A project to fully restore the mill to water power is still ongoing.

The milling process was shown from setting the grindstones, grinding the corn, sifting the flour and even hoisting the grains up to the top of the mill.  When the mill was operational, water powered all of the mechanisms inside.  The mill is now run off of electricity until the final restoration can be completed.

The storm on Sunday caused a power outage during the demonstration, which resulted in many jokes about the need to return the facility to a water-powered mill.  

When the Evans-Mumbower Mill was fully operable, it was completely green and run on renewable resources, something that seems to be a modern marvel in present day engineering.

Mills were numerous along the creeks feeding the Schuylkill River into Philadelphia, and usually served the immediate surrounding area.   At one time, our region was described as the “Breadbasket of the Mid-Atlantic" and our mills were considered world class facilities for the times.  The Evans-Mumbower Mill is an excellent example of what was once a major industry in our region.

The mill is a great place to get a sense of  history about our area.  The archeological digs that started in the year 2000 have yielded many treasures from pre revolutionary times. The numerous treasures are on display during the open houses. 

 One dig currently underway is to locate and excavate Samuel Wheeler's blacksmith shop on the property.  Samuel Wheeler was a backsmith during the American Revolution who used his skills to create numerous ways to thwart British ships from advancing up the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. 

“During the Revolution, Mr. Wheeler fashioned chains and pikes on this location.”  said Joan Harris of the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.

Pikes are large spikes attached to boxes sunk into rivers to puncture the hulls of wooden ships.

The Evans-Mumbower Mill has an open house every third Sunday of the month.  The next few dates for the open house are:

• Sept. 18 for "Mill Festival Day" with demonstrations of 19^th-Century crafts including tin smithing and corn cake making.
  
  
• Oct. 23: A joint open house with Morris Arboretum's Springfield Millstones
  
  
• Oct. 29: A special Halloween celebration with the ghost of Henry Mumbower. Includes candy for children.

For more information on the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, visit www.wvwa.org