Taylor Mill Historic Site
History
Robert Taylor, an early owner of the sawmill, bought the land in 1799. The mill went in operation in the 1800s. It is unknown when it ceased operation. In 1939, the land was sold to Ernest Ballard. By that time, the original mill was scrapped, and Ballard bought a similar mill, which was disassembled, in Sandown, New Hampshire. Ballard and his wife spent two years assembling it and identifying missing parts. The most notable missing part was the water wheel, which he ordered from a company in Pennsylvania. In 1953, Ernest Ballard donated the mill and the land to the state of New Hampshire in 1953. This 71-acre (29 ha) property became Ballard State Forest, and the pond above the mill is known as Ballard Pond.
Mill
The water wheel is 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide. The logs which can be sawed at the mill can not exceed 10 feet (3.0 m) in length and 28 inches (71 cm) in diameter. The mill operates at 60 strokes per minute. By operation type, the mill is an up and down mill, which is a mechanized version of a usual saw. This is an outdated technology, which was replaced by water-powered circular saw around 1825. Taylor Mill is one of the few examples of a surviving mill using this technology.
References
- ^ "Taylor Mill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Taylor Mill Historic Site". New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Heather Rojo (July 11, 2009). "Taylor Saw Mill". Londonderry News. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
External links
- Taylor Mill Historic Site New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources