INFORMATION FROM THE HISTORIC MARKER AT VALLEY MILL PARK
In the 1790's Peter Kemp built a saw and grist mill and brick miller's cottage on this site. Two subsequent mills replaced the original in the nineteenth century. The first, constructed in 1835 by Dr. Washinton Duvall, became the leading producer of corn meal in Montgomery County by mid-century. In 1879, Franklin Pilling built the mill known as Valley Mill. Pilling replaced the old water wheel with a more efficient Poole and Hunt turbine, a portion of which remains. The centralization of milling to the mid-west in the late 1800's caused the economic demise of numerous small mills. The valley mill ceased to operate by 1930.
The objective of this project is to recover the buried turbine, have it restored, and build a display for it. Those interested in helping with this project may contact Frank Ierardi at email@example.com.
Valley Mill foundation Mill Sluice
Mill sluice and top of buried turbine
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This page was last updated on 5.09.06