Melcher's Grist Mill

Melcher's Grist Mill, built circa 1888 for Nicklos Melcher and moved from Bally, Pennsylvania, was a complete and rare example of a single-family multipurpose farm mill. A water-powered turbine in the basement powered first-floor equipment including a large blade grindstone, a bone mill, a meat grinder, and a sausage-stuffing machine at butchering time. Its main machinery was a millstone for grinding grains into animal feed and corn into cornmeal for the kitchen. The mill could also power a wood saw for cutting firewood and a wooden-tub washing machine. Farm mills like this were once not uncommon in the eastern United States, but they became obsolete with the introduction of gasoline and electric motors. Joseph Melcher, Nicklos's son and the last owner, operated the mill into the 1950s, and it was moved to this site in 1984.

Pennsylvania · United States