The Future of Greenbank Mill

Greenbank Mill Associates

Shortly before the fire, a group formed as The Friends of Greenbank Mill - A Division of Historic Red Clay Valley which opened the mill as a museum (with Roy Magargal still milling during the week). Ravaged by fire, this Delaware treasure faced the threat of fading into a memory on the landscape. After several years of struggling to save and restore the mill, the group incorporated in 1987 as The Greenbank Mill Associates, Inc.

GMA is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Greenbank Mill National Historic District as a public museum, and expanding public knowledge of Red Clay Valley industrial, agricultural, and social history through on-site educational and recreational programming.

A Bold Vision

The Greenbank Mill Associates knew that telling the story of the mill required understanding how it fit into its community. Pursuit of this idea has led to a plan that recreates a glimpse of Delaware during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. By restoring or reconstructing the industrial, agricultural, and residential elements of the Historic District, GMA can provide a complete picture of the early republic in the First State. Visitors will experience the connections between raw materials and finished products, home industry and industrialization, and farms and foods. By walking in the footsteps of the past and experiencing daily life, we gain a better understanding of our present.

Restoring and Reconstructing the Past

Since the devastating fire in 1969, work has concentrated on restoring the mill structures. The 1760 gristmill was restored using the strategy of adaptive reuse. The award winning restoration included a mill machinery exhibit and education facility. By creating two apartments and using the education facility as a community rental facility during under-utilized periods, the adaptive reuse provides revenue to assist with operating expenses. The 1810 woolen mill, known as the Madison Factory, was completed in 1999. The reconstructed building will contain reconstructed textile machinery including a working 19th century dye house. Currently, the Madison Factory houses textile exhibits and demonstrations on the 2nd floor and a work area where visitors can watch and even participate in some of the restoration activities.

In the gristmill, GMA is reconstructing a full-scale working exhibit of Delaware inventor Oliver Evan's automatic milling machinery. The reconstructed machinery will be powered by an 18-foot diameter oak water wheel, which was completed in 1996. It is hoped that the exhibit will be operational by the end of 2001. With the help of skilled artisans, professional contractors, and community volunteers, the machinery is being completed below 1979 cost estimates.

The water system is the defining element of any water powered mill. The millwright that decided to construct the buildings, wheels, and races at Greenbank chose their location based on the topography and water potential at this location on Red Clay Creek. GMA has been studying and mapping the races and water power structures since 1993 in order to understand how the sources of power for the mill originally worked. Many structures were damaged by flooding requiring major repairs and a pump to get water into the race. The rehabilitation of the water system was completed in October 2001.

Archaeological and documentary research has led to a greater understanding of how the water system or actually systems worked. The diversion channel was the original 17th century dam site but sometime in the 18th or 19th century Red Clay Creek cut a course around the dam. The diversion Channel and main dam were then constructed to recapture the water and supply of power to the three water wheels (gristmill, Madison Factory, and sawmill). The current water system contains elements from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

Robert Philips constructed the miller's house in 1794 and later generations constructed a bank barn in 1850. GMA acquired this property in 1997 and is currently working to convert the structures to museum space. The house will contain reproduction furnishings in period rooms that represent the daily activities of food preparation, sleeping quarters, social areas, and home industry. The barn will house rotating exhibits that reflect the seasonal changes in an early 19th century barn. Programs in both structures will encourage visitors to interact with the furnishings through demonstrations and hands-on activities.

In addition to buildings, GMA is working to preserve our genetic past. On the Greenbank farm are heritage livestock breeds of sheep - Leicester Longwools and Delaine Merino. The Leicester breed had died out in America in 1990 but thanks to the work of Colonial Williamsburg there are now 250. Five reside at Greenbank to represent the sheep of colonial America. The woolen mill was constructed to process the newly introduced merino wool from Spain. The Delaine Merino are the descendants of those 19th century merino that grazed at Greenbank and created the foundation for modern breeds. GMA has begun a conservation breeding program.