The History of the Old Dutch Mill

The History of the Old Dutch Mill. . Much of the history of the Old Dutch Mill is lost in the past. It is known, however, that construction was started in 1847 by Frederick Fischer and was finished in 1850 on the site on which it now stands. , , When the property was purchased in 1925 by the Mount Emblem Cemetery Association, the Old Dutch Mill was reconditioned in order to preserve it for the generations of today and tomorrow. , , The construction of the Old Dutch Mill is a remarkable example of the builders' art, graceful as well as practical and durable. , , It is no wonder that it took three years to build, for each piece was handhewn, handcut, handcarved, and handpegged. Every cog. wheel, spoke and shaft was cut from wood with hand tools. , , The gracefulness of the shingled exterior and the perfect proportion of the eighty foot wings disguise the massiveness of the structure. It is difficult to realize that the Old Dutch Mill is fully five stories high. , , The stone foundation is as strong today as it was the day it was laid. The main framework is white pine; the cogwheels and shafts are white oak and hickory. , , It is interesting to observe the painstaking construction of the cogwheels. The wooden teeth of the main wheel are firmly wedged-in at the back; the teeth of the smaller cogwheels are fastened by wood pegs. , , The huge wings are fastened to a beam composed of four handhewn timbers, each about twelve inches square, fastened together with hand-riveted bolts. The other end of this beam rests in a hanging of stone. , , Operation of the Old Dutch Mill was exclusively by windpower. The latticed sails of the Old Duch Mill bore canvas and faced into the wind. You will observe that the upper twelve feet of the structure revolves on a turntable which enabled the operators to swing the wings into the wind by means of a simple windlass and roller controlled from the platform of the Mill. , , A friction brake-band, also controlled from the platform which surrounds the second story of the Mill, provided a means of stopping and starting operations. , , If the wind became too strong, making operation of the Old Dutch Mill dangerous, an old “Fly-governor” located on the fourth floor would automatically brake the machinery. As the speed of the revolving wings increased, the heavy weights of the “Fly-governor” would be forced outward until they reached a point that would stop all moving parts of the Mill. , , The speed of operations was also automatically controlled by the “Fly-governor.” An ingenious arrangement of levers exerted the upward pull of the governor on the lower grinding stones, thereby increasing friction between the stones. This additional pressure would gradually slow down operating parts of the Mill. In other words, it would act as a brake. , , Upon entering the Mill you will first see a track system and a small car with flanged wheels which was used for transporting grain in and flour out of the Mill. Near the door is a quaint cornsheller in which the corn was first crushed before it was elevated by a bucket system to the bins on third floor. , , When the grain reached the third floor by the bucket conveyor, it was passed through screens which cleansed it before it was carried by chutes to the second floor for grinding . After the grain was ground between the stones, the flour passed down chutes to the first floor where it was drawn off in its course state, and then sifted. The sifter is located in a “lean-to” at right angles to the receiving room on the ground floor. These sifting bins had four different grades of silk ranging from coarse to fine. The roughage, left after the final sifting, was drawn off at the extreme end. , , The productive capacity of the Old Mill was from twenty to forty barrels a day, depending upon the strength of the wind. , , You will be amazed to find that modern methods of producing flour resemble so closely the crude ways used by the men who built the Old Dutch Mill. For instance, the “Shaker” used to regulate the amount of grain fed into the stones. As it rotates, a square metal shaft which also turns the grinders bumps each of its corners against a funnel held at the proper tension by a wooden spring. Each time the shaft bumps the funnel a small amount of grain is emptied into the stone grinder. The wooden spring is built-up in layers similar to those used on modern automobiles. This simple arrangement, though perfected in modem machinery. is still the principle used in modern flour production. , , [Box in the bottom right corner:] , The Old Dutch Mill , A Landmark Since 1950. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Mount Emblem Cemetery’s superb landscape, the Old Dutch Mill preserves for us the romance of a past age of toil, perseverance, and patience; it is a memorial to the ingenious craftsmanship of our forebears, and the age it symbolizes.Award of Honor to Mount Emblem Cemetery Association, commending the preservation of the Old Dutch Mill as a public service. , , This graceful Old Dutch Mill is an educational exhibit of historic interest that is worthy of the time it will take to see it. , , Visitors from all over the country attest to its rarity. , , Visitors are always welcome