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Work Progresses

Andy Quigley, Chamberlin Mill board member, discusses foundation work with Bill Foskett of Old World Stoneworks. Courtesy photo.

 

More cause to celebrate for Woodstock’s historic Chamberlin Mill

June has been a red letter month for Chamberlin Mill.  The first phase of its restoration is underway, with masons from Old World Stoneworks at work on foundation repairs.  Also, the Mill has received a second significant grant from Summer Hill Foundation to further its restoration efforts. 

This past week, Old World Stoneworks completed work on a large stone pier supporting a critical corner of  the Mill , the first element in their repair plan for the building’s foundation. Though generally solid, the foundation required repair in several places, and has been shored up by temporary wooden cribbing for several years, awaiting the current restoration.  Foundation repairs will be ongoing during the summer months. Funding for this first phase of the Mill’s restoration was provided last fall by a $23,000 grant from Summer Hill Foundation.

This month, Summer Hill Foundation awarded another grant to Chamberlin Mill, Inc., the non-profit corporation organized to preserve and revitalize the site as a historical and educational resource for the area.  This new $40,000 grant will be combined with funds raised by Friends of Chamberlin Mill and other sources to support timber framing and related restoration work, expected to begin by early 2016. 

Jean McClellan, president of Chamberlin Mill, Inc., said,  “With this new and very generous funding from Summer Hill, and with restoration work starting, we feel as if we are truly on our way. The years of preliminary studies, non-profit formation, and  architectural planning are coming together.  We can’t wait for the day when we will be able to welcome people to a restored site, to see its 19th-century circular saw in operation again, to explore remnants of its long water-driven history, and to witness the Mill’s 1928 Studebaker engine back in action running the saw as in its last decades of use following the so-called ‘Great Flood’ of 1936.”

The 1928 Studebaker engine, a unique part of the Chamberlin Mill story, is well on its way to undertaking its old role again, thanks to the support of Mystic Seaport and its team of dedicated engine repair volunteers.  The engine will be on display at the Mystic Seaport Antique Vehicle Show on Sept. 27, and at Chamberlin Mill’s Walktober event on Oct. 4.  

Chamberlin Mill closed up shop in the late 1960s, making it one of the last surviving mills of the water-driven era.  Its current structure dates to the late 1800s, though mill activity at the site dates to the 1700s.  Chamberlin’s  long history, ingenious adaptations to adversity and new technologies, and its rarity, make this mill a very special piece of history.  Not long ago almost every stream was dotted with mills, but today, while stone foundations remain in many locations, standing structures, especially of early sawmills, have all but disappeared.  There is only one other publicly accessible sawmill in Connecticut, a sash mill, in Ledyard.  There are none in Rhode Island. Chamberlin, with its unique story, is seen as an exceptionally important asset to preserve.  

Building committee and board member, Andy Quigley, said, “This is an irreplaceable resource for the area, and with all of the good will that has been directed to its preservation, we are making steady progress. I can’t wait to get the old saw running again.” 

Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the Chamberlin Mill restoration project, or in making a donation for this purpose is invited to contact Chamberlin Mill, Inc., P.O. Box 2, Woodstock, CT 06281 or to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  The website is www.chamberlinmill.org.