Spring Mill Complex

Last updated
Spring Mill Complex
Gunkle Mill, East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA.jpg
Gunkle Mill in 2023
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationSouthwest of Devault at the junction of Moores Road and Pennsylvania Route 401, East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°3′9″N75°33′53″W / 40.05250°N 75.56472°W / 40.05250; -75.56472
Area2.7 acres (1.1 ha)
Built1793
NRHP reference No. 78002370 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 14, 1978

The Spring Mill Complex, also known as the Gunkle Spring Mill, is a historic American gristmill complex constructed in 1793. The complex is located in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Contents

History and architectural features

This mill was built in 1793 by Michael and Chatharina Gunkle. It is a 2+12-story, banked stone structure with a gable roof. Also located on the property are a contributing 2+12-story, stuccoed stone miller's house, a one-story stone spring house, a one-story stone smokehouse, and a one-story stone carriage house. [1]

Gunkle was a German immigrant from Philadelphia who purchased 974 acres (394 ha) in 1792 in East Whiteland, where he constructed and operated the gristmill, along with a saw mill and a fulling mill. [2]

By 1872 the mill processed 1,800 short tons (1,600 t) of flour, feed, corn, and oats yearly. At the peak of its productivity, the mill ran 18 hours a day. [3] The mill remained in continuous operation into the 1940s. [4]

The Gunkle Spring Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 1978. [1] It is owned and maintained by the East Whiteland Township Historical Commission. [3]

In 2019, the commission initiated a project to install a new wheel. An announcement of the completed installation was made in the Fall 2021 East Whiteland Historical Commission Newsletter. The wheel was manufactured and installed by B.E. Hassett Millwrights of Lynchburg, VA. Some highlights of the wheel are: diameter - 16'; weight - 2000 lbs.; 72 buckets, each 4' wide; wheel speed - 13 RPM, capable of producing 50 HP.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania</span> Township in Pennsylvania, United States

East Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,913 at the 2020 Census. Mailing addresses associated with East Whiteland include Malvern, Frazer, and a small area of Exton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newlin Mill Complex</span> United States historic place

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newlin Miller's House</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Newlin Miller's House was built by William Newlin during the early nineteenth century in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located in the narrow valley of Little Broad Run, a tributary of the East Branch of Brandywine Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley</span> Historic Episcopal church in Philadelphia

St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley is a historic Episcopal church in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb. The church was founded in 1704 as a missionary parish of the Church of England in what was then the colonial Province of Pennsylvania. The parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etna Furnace (Williamsburg, Pennsylvania)</span> United States historic place

Etna Furnace, also known as Mount Etna Furnace, Aetna Furnace, and Aetna Iron Works, is a historic iron furnace complex and national historic district located at Catharine Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania. The district includes five contributing buildings, six contributing sites, and two contributing structures. It encompasses a community developed around an iron furnace starting in 1805. Included in the district is the four-sided stone furnace (1808), gristmill site, canal locks, site of lock keeper's house, aqueduct, two small houses, the ruins of a charcoal house (1808), the foundation of a tally house, a blacksmith shop, bank barn, foundation of a boarding house, three family tenant houses, two iron master mansions, a store and paymaster's office, Methodist / Episcopal Church (1860), and cemetery with graves dating between 1832 and 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collen Brook Farm</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Collen Brook Farm, also known as Collenbrook, is a historic home and associated buildings located in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The complex includes three contributing buildings: a farmhouse, a granite spring house, and stone and frame carriage house. The house is a 2+12-story, vernacular stone residence with a Georgian plan and consisting of three sections. The oldest section was built around 1700, with additions made in 1774, and 1794. It was the home of noted educator and political leader George Smith (1804–1882).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Joy (Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania)</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Mount Joy, also known as the Peter Legaux Mansion, is an historic, American house that is located in the Spring Mill section of Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Mill</span> United States historic place

The Springfield Mill, also known as the Piper-Streeper Mill, is an historic, American gristmill that is located near the Wissahickon Creek in Erdenheim, Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willow Mill Complex</span> Historic complex in Pennsylvania, United States

The Willow Mill Complex is a complex of historic buildings that is located in Richboro, Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaiah Paxson Farm</span> United States historic place

The Isaiah Paxson Farm, also known as Burgess Lea, is an historic farm complex which is located in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Cooper Gristmill</span> Historic gristmill in Chester Township, New Jersey

The Nathan Cooper Gristmill is a historic gristmill on the Black River located at 66 NJ Route 24 in Chester Township, Morris County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976 for its significance in industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moses Coates Jr. Farm</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

The Moses Coates Jr. Farm, also known as Meadow Brook Farm, is an historic, American home and farm complex that is located in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ashbridge Log House</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

The David Ashbridge Log House is a historic home located at 1181 King Road in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. One of the historic properties included within the Battle of the Clouds Historic District, it was erected in 1782 by Quaker farmer David Ashbridge. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autun (West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania)</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Autun, also known as Meadowcourt, is a historic home located in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by the architect Edmund Beaman Gilchrist in 1928 and completed in 1929, it is a 1+12-story, French style, L-shaped country house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitford Hall</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Whitford Hall is a historic home located in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Built about 1796 by Richard Thomas, the house is a 2+12-story, five-bay brick dwelling in the Federal style. It has a gable roof with dormers, service wing, and frame additions. Also on the property are a stone shed, tenant house, and carriage house. It is one of three surviving historic residences constructed by Richard Thomas, the others being Whitford Lodge and Ivy Cottage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Hunt Mill</span> United States historic place

The Roger Hunt Mill is an historic, American grist mill complex that is located in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopewell Farm</span> United States historic place

The Hopewell Farm, also known as Lower Farm and Hopedell Farm, is a historic home and farm located at 1751 Valley Road in Valley Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The 500-acre farm complex has six contributing buildings, one contributing site, and six contributing structures. The buildings and property were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Knauer House and Mill</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

The John Knauer House and Mill, also known as the Knauer Mill, is an historic American grist mill complex that is located in Warwick Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The site is situated in the Hopewell Big Woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy Cottage (West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania)</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Ivy Cottage is a historic residence located in Exton, a census-designated place in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1799 by politician and soldier Richard Thomas, the cottage started out as a plain stone farmhouse in the double-door Georgian style. It underwent extensive renovations and embellishments in the Queen Anne style in 1881 followed by an award-winning restoration in 2019. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Mill and Miller's House</span> Historic house and gristmill in Pennsylvania, U.S.

Thomas Mill and Miller's House is a historic grist mill and adjacent dwelling in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Erected between 1744 and 1754, the buildings are made of frame and stone and formed part of the extensive Thomas family holdings in the area. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 2004.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Winthrop, Grace (October 1985). "Spring Mill". History Quarterly of Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society. 23 (4): 123–132. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  3. 1 2 "Gunkle Spring Mill". www.eastwhiteland.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  4. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System.Note: This includes Powell, Doris M. (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Inventory-Nomination: Spring Mill Complex" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-01.