This Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m., come see
"Protecting the Old Mill" in the auditorium at
owlgorge@earthlink.net
The Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park will offer a presentation about the "Old Mill" (located in the upper park) and the need to protect it from the danger of fire. This amazing four-story Greek Revival grist mill has stood since the late 1830s, surviving floods and the everpresent danger of fire.
This Sunday, April 13, at 3:00 p.m., come see "Protecting the Old Mill" in the auditorium at Longview (a senior living community) on the west side of Route 96B south of Ithaca College. Assistant Park Manager Jim Dunn will explain the history and functioning of the mill in his illustrated talk. The event is free and open to all; free freshments will be available. For more information, write or call me, Tony Ingraham. (Contact information below.)
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More information about the mill and the strategy to protect it from fire danger:
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "the mill at Enfield Falls," the old grist mill at the Upper Park area of Robert H. Treman State Park has survived flood and the danger of fire. Its predecessor, built in 1819, burned down--a common event for grist mills of the time. The present mill was built by Jared Treman in 1839 and was the heart of the village of Enfield Falls until 1916, when it was purchased by Robert H. Treman and closed.
The mill reopened in 1927, not as a working gristmill but as an amenity and a curiosity. Most of the mill machinery remained, but a veranda, toilet facilities, a fireplace with chimney, a dormer on the third floor and a snack bar were added to serve the visitors who came to the newly opened Enfield Glen State Park, created by the donation of 400 acres surrounding Enfield Glen. It was not long before the invitation to build fires in the fireplace was revoked and a le! ss fire-prone recreation building was built at the other end of the parking lot.
In the 1990s, exhibits were installed throughout the mill, explaining its history and functioning. Other exhibits in the mill exlpain the nearby CCC camp site, and ongoing archeology work investigating the hamlet.
We Need Your Help
Park managers have always had a nagging worry about fire at the mill. Fire is always a danger in a wooden building, especially in a remote wooden building. A cigarette could be dropped; lightning could strike. Recently, active steps have been taken to try to protect this special building.
New York State Parks is designing an appropriate fire detection and protection system. Preservation. experts are planning a three-stage project. Stage I would install a heat detection system connected to 911. Stage II would design a dry pipe system which would deliver water on demand. Stage III installs this dry pipe system.
The cost of stage I will be more than $15,000. To help the park to be able to afford to pay for this, the Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park, who raise money by sorting and returning bottles and cans left at the Park, have voted to commit $4000 to help with this cost. Once the detection system is in place, we will need to to try to raise considerable additional funds to help with the cost of the dry pipe system.
The Friends are now appealing to the community to contribute to this important project to protect a favorite piece of Tompkins County heritage. Checks may be sent to treasurer Alice Garey, 435 Bostwick Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (written to Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park, earmarked for the project) or left with John Guilford at the Park Office (call ahead to be sure the office is open: 273-3440). Donations to the Friends should be tax deductible.
Tony Ingraham, President
Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park
607-275-0344
owlgorge@earthlink.net
