Abbott’s Mill originated in the fall of 1795, when local carpenter Nathan Willey contracted to purchase land at this location. On April 23, 1802, Willey and several neighbors petitioned the Court of General Sessions, saying he had erected and just finished a grist mill there at great expense and asking that a new road be extended to the recently completed mill because of its advantages to local citizens. After Willey’s death in 1812, the mill was sold to James Owens and then to Isaac Riggs. From 1821 until 1874, members of the Johnson family owned it, and although it later passed through several owners, it was known as Johnson’s Mill until miller Ainsworth Abbott purchased it in 1919. The core of the present mill building is believed to have been constructed on the foundation of the original structure during the latter part of the 19th century. Abbott operated the mill until shortly before the State of Delaware began acquiring the property in 1963. Abbott’s Mill was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, adjoining property was added in 1979, and the site is now part of the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, which offers programs and activities to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the natural environment.