- Details
- Category: Current Issue
WOODSTOCK — Another hurdle was cleared for the rare historic sawmill, Chamberlin Mill, when the IRS recently granted tax exempt status to Chamberlin Mill, Inc. This non-profit organization was established in 2012 by citizens interested in saving a rare historic sawmill on the Still River in Woodstock as a cultural asset for the region. Tax exemption is seen as a critical step in the on-going preservation effort. Chamberlin Mill board member Lyn Smith said, “The tax exempt non-profit status is crucial to fund-raising efforts that will stabilize this important cultural resource. The mill will serve as an educational opportunity across a wide range of interests, including industrial and New England history, post and beam construction, and the environment.” Jean McClellan, president of Chamberlin Mill, Inc., added, “We are very lucky to have found our way through the tax exemption approval process. Incorporation, a year ago, was the easy part. Then we waited 10 months for the IRS to take a look at our application. In the end, review of our application was expedited with the support of Rep. Joe Courtney’s office. Once on the fast track, approval was swift. If it had not been expedited, we could have expected many more months of waiting. We are extremely grateful to Rep. Courtney’s office, and eager to move forward with next steps for saving the mill.” Chamberlin Mill is the last standing structure in Woodstock that can give an idea of early water-driven small industries. All that remains of the other old mills that were sprinkled along dammable rivers and brooks are foundations, or suggestions of foundations. The fate is the same for most small, early New England mills. The Chamberlin structure is considered rare well beyond Woodstock. Nicholas Bellantoni, state archaeologist, has written that he considers Chamberlin “one of the most important small-scale industrial sites I have ever seen in New England.” Dave Haines, president of the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, calls it “a gem.” Since at least the late 1700s, there has been a mill at the Chamberlin site. Early deed research conducted by historian, Myron Stachiw, indicates that there was a grist mill as well as a sawmill in early years. From about 1800, for over two centuries, the mill was passed down in one family, from Abijah Sessions to his descendants, who included four generations of Chamberlins. The structure that we see today dates to the later part of the 19th century, though there is evidence of earlier mill configuration in the foundation. Since The Nature Conservancy acquired the property in 2008, it has been working with the Woodstock Historical Society, Woodstock Historic Properties Commission, and other interested citizens to find a way to preserve the mill. Chamberlin Mill Inc. was formed for this purpose. To date, a structural conditions assessment and feasibility study have been completed for the mill, funded by matching grants from The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. Also, through another matching grant from the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, the mill has been shored up for the immediate future. A cadre of devoted volunteers has worked to secure and maintain the site, to inventory and remove relevant material, and to research the history of the mill and its environs. Significant long-term stabilization and restoration work lies ahead. Funding for this work will be the primary focus of Chamberlin Mill, Inc. for the next few years. While it will be perhaps five years or more before the mill is fully stabilized, it has already begun serving an educational purpose. In the past few years, the mill has been host to a national tour of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, students from the Yale school of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and other interest groups. It has also participated in The Last Green Valley’s Walktober program, and held several public events. Chamberlin Mill, Inc. hopes to provide many more educational opportunities in the future. It also hopes to restore at least some of the original equipment found in the mill and now in safe storage. It is actively looking for replacement parts for an 1873 Lane # 1 Circular Saw. To find out more about the mill, its history, events, and opportunities for getting involved, check out Chamberlin Mill, Inc.’s website: www.chamberlinmill.org.