Borneman Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Borneman Mill
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Farmhouse. July 2013.
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | Off Pennsylvania Route 100 southwest of Clayton, Washington Township, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | c. 1860 |
| MPS | Gristmills in Berks County MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001612 |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1990 |
Borneman Mill, also known as Stauffer Mill, is a special old building in Washington Township, Pennsylvania. It's a historic "farm mill" that used water power to help with farm work. Imagine a building that helped farmers get their chores done a long time ago!
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Discovering Borneman Mill
Borneman Mill is a historic site located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was built to help with many farm tasks using the power of water. This mill shows us how people used to work and live on farms in the past.
What is a Farm Mill?
A farm mill like Borneman Mill was very important for farms. It used the power of flowing water to run machines. This helped farmers do many tasks, like grinding grain or cutting wood. It was like having a powerful helper right on the farm!
The Mill Building
The Borneman Mill building was constructed before the year 1860. It is a two-story building with a basement. The mill is built with a "post-and-beam" style, which means it has strong vertical posts and horizontal beams. Its outside walls are covered with vertical siding. The mill measures about 21 feet by 24 feet.
How the Mill Worked
The mill was very clever in how it helped the farm. It powered operations in a nearby stone "bank barn." A bank barn is a special type of barn built into a hillside. This allowed for easy access to different levels. The mill used a special "cable drive system" to send power to the barn. This system moved power from the water wheel in the mill to machines in the barn. This made farm work much easier and faster.
Other Buildings on the Property
Besides the mill, there are other important buildings on the property. There is a farmhouse that was built in two main parts, around 1810 and 1850. This is where the farm family would have lived. There is also a smokehouse, built around 1850. A smokehouse was used to preserve meat by smoking it. These buildings together show what a busy farm looked like long ago.
A Place in History
Borneman Mill is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The National Register is a list of places in the United States that are considered historically significant. Being on this list helps protect the mill and reminds us of its history.
