One in a Mill-ion

One in a Mill-ion. Cedar Bridge Tavern. , Sawmills have been in existence as early as the 4th century. First seen in New Jersey around 1682, milled wood would become a staple export only 16 years later in 1698. As demand for lumber increased, sawmills began popping up across the colonies. At its peak, New Jersey had close to 300 mills in operation. During this time, many improvements were made, but it all started with the up-and-down saw., Averaging between 500 and 1,000 feet a day of wood milled, the up-and-down saw remained unchanged for nearly a century and a half. The saw was centered in a wood frame and moved through a series of gears attached to a water wheel. Logs were hand moved through a series of iron mill bars until a more efficient mechanical device evolved. The sawmill at Cedar Bridge, down the road slightly near the one room schoolhouse, would likely have been such a mill. , Atlanic White Cedar , Chamaecyparis thyoides. , New Jersey Atlantic White Cedar swamps were numerous when first encountered by European settlers. Atlantic White Cedar is extremely rot-resistant and was used for building boats, decoys, buckets, shingles, housing and channel-marking posts. Due to their value and versatility, these swamps were mined for their wood and drained for agriculture in the 18th century, becoming hardwood or brush swamps after cedar regeneration failed (Kuser and Zimmerman)., Today, State and Non-Profit groups are working to create and revitalize these habitats. Cedar swamps stabilize stream flows, temporarily storing floodwaters and mitigating the effects of droughts. They filter and purify water as it flows through them. Cedar swamps are prime habitat for endangered Swamp Pinks, support a high density of nesting birds and are used as winter dens by Timber Rattlesnakes.