Newlin Grist Mill History

Since January I have been taking an archaeology class at Newlin Grist Mill in West Chester, PA -- about a 75-90 minute drive. One of the weeks, Keith (their archaeologist) gave us a tour of the outbuildings. The park is a mile long and half a mile wide. It is full of trails, most of which I have not yet explored. The railroad ran through the property.

When we had our tour, I wasn't really expecting our tour. Or rather, I thought it was going to be at a higher level. I didn't bring my notebook. I took notes on the back of the map. 

The railroad was put in during the mid-1800s -- just before the Civil War. The red building they as the visitor's center was built in 1857 as a railroad station. In 2000, it was built onto mirroring the original style. We meet in the new part off to the left.

This is the spillway with gates to control the spillway. It has an emergency shut off to prevent water entering the mill. Ponds were put in by the Newlin family for fishing.

Up until 1961 the rail line was used for commercial transport. For some years after that, it was used for steam engine sightseeing excursions. It has not been used in many years.

The property also had a pump house, the mill, a home for the mill overseer, and a general store. a Next to the old train station was a freight depot. The Newlins lived nearby, but not on the property. 

Last season we excavated where the barn used to be. It burned down in the 1920s. Unfortunately no pictures exist of the barn, so the dig was mostly to try to figure out what we could -- how big was it? What was the floor made out of? How big was the entranceway? What was it made out of?

During the pandemic Keith and Ed excavated the floor in the mill. Normally they have school groups touring, but in 2020 the tours were cancelled for safety, so they could rip up the floor. They saw just how far down it went, and how many layers of floors were built over the years. It was grueling work. As is, excavating the site of the old barn is mostly rocks. The mill was all rocks.

The mill was in business from 1704-1941. 1704 is twenty years after the town was formed. The tracks were no longer needed. The stop up from them was a creamery, the train was the source of the morning milk run for many years.  The white building next to the red stone mill was the general store. Today it is the archive and library for the park. The 1734 inventory for the general store showed they added a loading dock. There was a barrel vaulted tunnel between the two buildings. It ends four feet town on top of a stone wall.

Excavation has been started behind the general store, and will continue this year. It is basically a Victorian trash heap. I can't wait to explore it! Milk glass has already been found, along with about 10,000 artifacts in one level. 

The Miller's house was built in 1739 for the Irishman who was enticed to move to Pennsylvania and bring his skills with him. The mill was processing flour. It was sold in 1870 to the Trimbles. When the descendants of the Newlin family bought the property back, they knocked off the upper floor, and took off the front porch in an effort to renovate the Miller's house back to what it was like when their family lived there.

The current  barn was relocated in 1983 from Smithridge Road.

The Trimble House, as we call it, was built in 1739. The colonial kitchen in the house has been restored. It was added to over the years.

Also on the property are Outbuilding #1, a smaller house, a spring house, and an ice house. As digs take place, we are slowly learning about how people lived and the purposes of the different outbuildings.