Kirby's Mill is a historic

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

in Medford,

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the South Jersey region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by land area in New Jersey and ranks second behind neighboring Ocean County in total area. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States. Originally known as Haines Mill, it was built in 1778 by Isaac Haines and partners along the Southwest Branch of

Rancocas Creek Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-re ...

. It was the last commercial operating mill in New Jersey.Medford Historical Society
"Kirby's Mill, Medford New Jersey."
Accessed 2011-11-22.

History

18th and 19th centuries

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

was built along the creek, and an adjacent brick house, called the Miller's House, was built about 1785. The grist mill was enlarged to three stories about 1830. A

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop and barn were also built during this period. William S. Kirby purchased the mill complex in 1877 and added a fourth floor to the grist mill. The original

water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous b ...

was replaced with

water turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, t ...

s, which provided more power and were submerged, permitting year-round operation. The mill produced

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

and

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

flour,

cornmeal Maize meal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried maize. It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', Third Editi ...

and chicken feed. The sawmill produced lumber for the mid-Atlantic region into the 20th century.

20th century

Flour production stopped in the 1920s. The gristmill was converted to electrical operation in 1961. Livestock feed was produced until 1969. Kirby's Mill was relatively unaffected by a disastrous storm that struck upstream from the site in Medford, Medford Lakes, and Shamong Township on July 14, 2004. While the mill, grounds, roadway and surrounding property were inundated under up to 12+ feet of water, the structure remained intact, with little to no noticeable and appreciable damage. Medford Township,

, New Jersey State, and Federal Engineers, and Historic/Preservation Architects performed detailed surveys, and inspections to certify the building as safe, and only receiving "minor, cosmetic, or relatively inconspicuous" damage. Each year, the Medford Historical Society hosts its annual Quilt Show, as well as the annual Apple Festival. Highlighting local artisans, crafts-workers, period scenes, and historical memorabilia. Attendance has been growing over the years, with 2012 being approximately 20,000 attendees. Kirby's Mill Apple Festival is one of the most popular festivals in the tri-county area.

Renovations

Recently, historic renovations to the Millers House have been started. These have been started to return the structure to its original, more historically correct design and appearance. Removal of 1930 as well as 1950 additions, the return to timber structural members, glazing, and decorative fixtures, as well as historic renovation of the interior are expected to be completed by 2009. Additionally, construction of a period style carriage house has been started on the Mill's grounds. Kirby's Mill is currently owned by the Medford Historical Society. The mill has been entered in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in the United States. The society is working to restore the mill, which is part of a museum complex that includes a country store, milliner's shop, print shop,

carpenter shop Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. C ...

, working

shop and

. The museum is open during special events and on Sunday afternoons in the summer.Medford Historical Society
"Events."
Accessed 2011-11-22.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Industrial buildings completed in 1774 Buildings and structures in Burlington County, New Jersey Museums in Burlington County, New Jersey Mill museums in the United States Medford, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Burlington County, New Jersey Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey

History

18th and 19th centuries

20th century

Renovations

See also

References