Kirby's Mill

Last updated
Kirby's Mill
Kirby's Mill (33).JPG
Location map of Burlington County, New Jersey.svg
Red pog.svg
USA New Jersey location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Nearest city Medford, New Jersey
Coordinates 39°55′0″N74°48′22″W / 39.91667°N 74.80611°W / 39.91667; -74.80611 Coordinates: 39°55′0″N74°48′22″W / 39.91667°N 74.80611°W / 39.91667; -74.80611
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built1778
NRHP reference # 71000497 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 12, 1971

Kirby's Mill is a historic grist mill in Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. Originally known as Haines Mill, it was built in 1778 by Isaac Haines and partners along the Southwest Branch of Rancocas Creek. It was the last commercial operating mill in New Jersey. [2]

Medford, New Jersey Township in New Jersey, United States

Medford is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 23,033, reflecting an increase of 780 (+3.5%) from the 22,253 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,727 (+8.4%) from the 20,526 counted in the 1990 Census.

Burlington County, New Jersey County in the United States

Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the second largest in New Jersey by total area behind Ocean County which has a total area of 915.40 sq mi and its county seat is Mount Holly. As of the 2018 Census Bureau estimate, the county's population was 445,384, making it the 11th-largest of the state's 21 counties, representing a 0.4% decrease from the 2010 United States Census, when the population was enumerated at 448,734, in turn an increase of 25,340 (6.0%) from the 423,394 enumerated in the 2000 Census. The most-populous place was Evesham Township, with 45,538 residents at the time of the 2010 Census, while Washington Township covered 102.71 square miles (266.0 km2), the largest area of any municipality in Burlington County.

New Jersey State of the United States of America

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is a peninsula, bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on the southwest by the Delaware Bay and Delaware. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by area but the 11th-most populous, with 9 million residents as of 2017, making it the most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states with its biggest city being Newark. New Jersey lies completely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey was the second-wealthiest U.S. state by median household income as of 2017.

Contents

History

18th and 19th centuries

A sawmill was built along the creek, and an adjacent brick house, called the Miller's House, was built about 1785. The grist mill was enlarged to three stories about 1830. A blacksmith shop and barn were also built during this period.

Sawmill facility where logs are cut into timber

A sawmill or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern saw mills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes. The "portable" saw mill is iconic and of simple operation—the logs lay flat on a steel bed and the motorized saw cuts the log horizontally along the length of the bed, by the operator manually pushing the saw. The most basic kind of saw mill consists of a chainsaw and a customized jig, with similar horizontal operation.

Blacksmith person who creates wrought iron or steel products by forging, hammering, bending, and cutting

A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and weapons.

William S. Kirby purchased the mill complex in 1877 and added a fourth floor to the grist mill. The original water wheel was replaced with water turbines, which provided more power and were submerged, permitting year-round operation.

Water wheel machine for converting falling or flowing water into useful power

A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface.

Water turbine type of turbine

A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work.

The mill produced wheat, buckwheat and rye flour, cornmeal and chicken feed. The sawmill produced lumber for the mid-Atlantic region into the 20th century. [2]

Wheat Cereal grain

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus Triticum; the most widely grown is common wheat.

Buckwheat species of plant

Buckwheat, or common buckwheat, is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. A related and more bitter species, Fagopyrum tataricum, is a domesticated food plant raised in Asia. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Buckwheat is referred to as a pseudocereal because its seeds' culinary use is the same as cereals', owing to their composition of complex carbohydrates.

Rye species of plant

Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to barley and wheat (Triticum). Rye grain is used for flour, bread, beer, crisp bread, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder. It can also be eaten whole, either as boiled rye berries or by being rolled, similar to rolled oats.

20th century

Flour production stopped in the 1920s. The gristmill was converted to electrical operation in 1961. Livestock feed was produced until 1969. [2]

Kirby's Mill was relatively unaffected by a disastrous storm that struck upstream from the site in Medford, Medford Lakes, and Shamong Township on July 14, 2004. While the mill, grounds, roadway and surrounding property were inundated under up to 12+ feet of water, the structure remained intact, with little to no noticeable and appreciable damage. Medford Township, Burlington County, New Jersey State, and Federal Engineers, and Historic/Preservation Architects performed detailed surveys, and inspections to certify the building as safe, and only receiving "minor, cosmetic, or relatively inconspicuous" damage.

Shamong Township, New Jersey Township in New Jersey, United States

Shamong Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 6,490, reflecting an increase of 28 (+0.4%) from the 6,462 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 697 (+12.1%) from the 5,765 counted in the 1990 Census.

Each year, the Medford Historical Society hosts its annual Quilt Show, as well as the annual Apple Festival. Highlighting local artisans, crafts-workers, period scenes, and historical memorabilia. Attendance has been growing over the years, with 2012 being approximately 20,000 attendees. Kirby's Mill Apple Festival is one of the most popular festivals in the tri-county area.

Renovations

Recently, historic renovations to the Millers House have been started. These have been started to return the structure to its original, more historically correct design and appearance. Removal of 1930 as well as 1950 additions, the return to timber structural members, glazing, and decorative fixtures, as well as historic renovation of the interior are expected to be completed by 2009. Additionally, construction of a period style carriage house has been started on the Mill's grounds.

Kirby's Mill is currently owned by the Medford Historical Society. The mill has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.

The society is working to restore the mill, which is part of a museum complex that includes a country store, milliner's shop, print shop, carpenter shop, working blacksmith shop and sawmill. [2] The museum is open during special events and on Sunday afternoons in the summer. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Delta, Ontario Village in Ontario, Canada

Delta, Ontario, is a community in the Township of Rideau Lakes, Leeds and Grenville County in Eastern Ontario. The village is located between two lakes, Upper Beverley and Lower Beverley, along highway 42, approximately 15 kilometers west of Athens, Ontario and 28 kilometers east of Westport, Ontario.

Brayton Grist Mill

Brayton Grist Mill is an historic grist mill along Mashamoquet Brook, at the entrance to Mashamoquet Brook State Park off United States Route 44 in Pomfret, Connecticut. Built about 1890, it is one of the best-preserved 19th-century rural grist mills in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The mill has been restored, and is maintained by the Pomfret Historical Society as the Marcy Blacksmith Museum; it is open by appointment.

Mansfield Hollow Historic District

The Mansfield Hollow Historic District encompasses the remnants of a modest 19th-century industrial village on Mansfield Hollow Road in Mansfield, Connecticut. Originally industrialized with saw and grist mills, a silk mill was added in 1838, when it its most significant growth began. The surviving stone mill was built in 1882, and there are a number of nearby houses dating to the industrial period. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Busti Mill

Busti Mill, also known as the Old Mill, is a historic grist mill located at Busti in Chautauqua County, New York, USA. It was built in 1839 and remained in operation until around 1959 or 1960. In the later years, the mill was rented out and used sporadically, and the exact closing date is undetermined. The town of Busti deeded the mill to the Busti Historical Society on December 29, 1972.

Newlin Mill Complex

The Newlin Mill Complex, also referred to as The Newlin Grist Mill, is a water powered gristmill on the west branch of Chester Creek near Concordville, Pennsylvania 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 five historical buildings, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and 150 acres (61 ha) of natural woodland.

Mortonville, Pennsylvania unincorporated community in Chester County, Pennsylvania

Mortonville is an unincorporated area and historic hamlet in Chester County, Pennsylvania on the eastern bank of the West Branch Brandywine Creek. It consists of about a half-dozen structures, two of which are on the National Register of Historic Places: the Mortonville Hotel, and the 12.5-foot-long (3.8 m) "Bridge in East Fallowfield Township" which crosses a mill race a few feet east of a larger bridge. The larger bridge, known as the Mortonville Bridge, was also listed on the NRHP until 2010 when it was delisted following a renovation. The two bridges are in East Fallowfield Township, while most other structures are in Newlin Township.

Gristmill mill; grinds grain into flour

A gristmill grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to both the grinding mechanism and the building that holds it.

Haines Mill

Haines Mill, also known as Haines Mill Museum, is a historic grist mill located at South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It was built about 1840, and is a four-story, stone building with a slate covered gambrel roof. It is three bay by three bay, 42 feet by 46 feet, 9 inches. The interior was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1908. A three-story brick addition was built in 1930, with a lean-to roof. Atop the main roof is a cupola. It remained in full operation until 1957. Today, Haines Mill is operated as a partnership between the County of Lehigh, which owns and maintains the site, and the Lehigh County Historical Society, which provides public tours.

Gooseville Mill/Grist Mill

The Gooseville Mill/Grist Mill is a historic mill on the North Branch Milwaukee River in Gooseville, Wisconsin. The mill was built in 1879 to replace an 1855 mill that had burned down. The mill is a small custom mill with board and batten siding and is typical of the custom mills common in Sheboygan County in the 1800s. A Lefel turbine powered the mill, replacing the paddle wheel used in the 1855 mill. A burr mill was used to grind the grain processed at the mill. As of 1984, the mill was still operational and occasionally used as a sawmill.

Jervis Gordon Grist Mill Historic District

Jervis Gordon Grist Mill Historic District, also known as Milford Grist Mill and Rowe's Mill, is a historic grist mill and national historic district located at Milford, Pike County, Pennsylvania. The district includes three contributing buildings and one contributing structure. The buildings are a late-19th century grist mill, blacksmith complex, and millers house. The contributing structure consists of the mill pond, dam, head race, and tail race.

Benson Grist Mill restoration and replica museum in Stansbury Park, Utah

Benson Grist Mill is a restoration-replica museum located in Tooele County, Utah in the western United States, which allows visitors to see the inner workings of a latter-nineteenth-century pioneer gristmill. It has four other historic (nineteenth-century) buildings which have been moved onto the site, as well as four ancillary structures, including an open-air pavilion. It covers 6.98 acres along State Highway 138, 0.8 mile southwest of the intersection of the Road with State Highway 36. The museum is owned and operated by a division of Tooele County.

Parker Mill mill located at 4650 Geddes Road, east of Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Parker Mill, also known as Parker Mill Park or Parker Mill Complex, is a mill located at 4650 Geddes Road, east of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The mill is a well-preserved example of a small-scale grist mill operation that was once common in Michigan. The mill and nearby Parker House were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Senns Grist Mill-Blacksmith Shop-Orange Crush Bottling Plant complex of historic commercial buildings in Summerton, Clarendon County, South Carolina, USA

Senn's Grist Mill-Blacksmith Shop-Orange Crush Bottling Plant is a complex of historic commercial buildings located at Summerton, Clarendon County, South Carolina. The complex consists of three interconnected early-20th century buildings of similar size and construction. The grist mill was built about 1905, is an example of small independent grist mills that were commonplace in rural communities across the South. The blacksmith shop and bottling plant, built about 1921, are typical of early-20th century light industrial buildings. The complex supplied the local agricultural sector with essential goods and services for nearly a century.

Dorns Flour and Grist Mill historic grist mill located at McCormick in McCormick County, South Carolina

Dorn's Flour and Grist Mill is a historic grist mill located at McCormick in McCormick County, South Carolina. It was built circa 1898 and is a 2 1/2- story, red brick structure with projecting one-story wings. A three-story brick wall of cross-shaped plan was built in 1915 to support a water tower tank. The mill originally housed a cotton gin. In the 1920s, grist mill equipment was added. The mill closed in the 1940s.

Warrington, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Warrington is an unincorporated community located within Knowlton Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States.

Somerset Roller Mills

The Somerset Roller Mills, also known as the Jacobs Creek Grist Mill, are a small former gristmill complex, originally built in the early 18th century, in Titusville, New Jersey.

Gillettes Grist Mill

Gillette's Grist Mill is a historic grist mill on Maple Hollow Road in New Hartford, Connecticut. Probably built in the mid-19th century, it is an extremely rare example of a grist mill with a surviving water wheel. The mill property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Hayward and Kibby Mill building in Vermont, United States

The Hayward and Kibby Mill, also known as the Tunbridge Mill, is a historic industrial facility on Spring Road in Tunbridge, Vermont. It includes a substantially complete water-powered 19th-century grist mill dating back to 1820, with a later sawmill added about 1870. It is one of the few surviving water-powered mills in the state, and is believed to be the only one featuring both a sawmill and grist (grain) mill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

References

  1. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Medford Historical Society. "Kirby's Mill, Medford New Jersey." Accessed 2011-11-22.
  3. Medford Historical Society. "Events." Accessed 2011-11-22.