Keeping Old Mill Turning and Relevant

By 1811, a working mill had been completed, Henry said. Its state-of-the-art design, developed by inventor Oliver Evans, one of America's first high-pressure steam engine builders, used the waterwheel to drive a system of belts, conveyors and scoops that moved grain through the mill to feed its three sets of millstones.

The miller's house was finished about 1809 and underwent several significant transformations, including an addition in the late 1880s to accommodate the 18 surviving children of the miller, Addison Millard.

The barn was built sometime after the Civil War, and a general store opened for business at the end of the 19th century.

The mill was in ruins when it was acquired by the county in 1965. Restoration began three years later, and it was opened to the public in 1972. In 1977, Colvin Run Mill became the second site, after Sully Plantation, to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Conditions permitting, the mill operates every Sunday during the warmer months, and visitors can sometimes find blacksmiths or spinners demonstrating their craft. In winter months, when the millrace and millpond can freeze, park officials host other activities, such as this weekend's maple syrup boil.

Park officials say they hope that revising the master plan will be the first step to overhauling the park and broadening the site's appeal. The miller's house, occupied by park staff members, could be restored and converted into an exhibit and Evans's innovative machinery could become 100 percent operational. The barn could be overhauled into a visitors center and meeting space.

"The most important audience is the 10,000 third- and fourth-graders who come here," said Robert Lundegard, president of the nonprofit Friends of Colvin Run Mill. "It's a very educational facility with a very unique history."