Swauger Mill
New Germany State Park
— Friends of New Germany —
In the early 1900’s the mill was sold to Irish immigrants Phillip and Michael McAndrews, who built an imposing ten room home next to the mill. The mill remained at this location until the early 1930’s when President Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps bulldozed the entire operation to make way for the parking facility you see before you. This work was the beginning of what would become the recreation area known as New Germany State Park. Today, all these buildings have vanished. Only the old millstones standing guard at the entrance to Parking Lot #5 remain.
The gristmill was a huge structure with three stories and a basement. It was operated with waterpower from the nearby lake. A sluice, or millrace, was built on a series of trestles to move the water from the east side of the lake to the mill. The water passed under the dirt road by way of a wooden culvert and then entered the sluice. The sluice then carried the water several hundred yards into the mill.
The water was funneled onto an overshot wheel, about 40
feet in diameter. A series of large buckets occupied the outer perimeter of the wheel. The weight of the water filling the buckets caused the wheel to turn. The basement housed the main drive gear, from which a series of other gears were operated by various belts, driving the mill’s many grinding operations. Excess water from the mill’s operation ran off into nearby Poplar Lick Run.Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
Location. 39° 37.938′ N, 79° 7.344′ W. Marker is in Grantsville, Maryland, in Garrett County. Marker is on McAndrews Hill Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grantsville MD 21536, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. New Germany Lake (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Lee Payne (approx. 2.2 miles away); Little Meadows (approx. 4.4 miles away); Crash of a United States B-52 Bomber (approx. 4½ miles away); Stanton’s Mill (approx. 4½ miles away); Bear Hill School (approx. 4½ miles away); Yoder House (approx. 4.6 miles away); Markley House (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grantsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 633 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 17, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.