We purchased the Mill from Bill Stump of the Old Emlenton Mill Company in the Spring of 2005. The antique coop of the 1990’s closed before the turn of the century so the Mill had been closed for at least five years when we purchased it. It had a single layer of clapboard and Nancy was fond of saying the wind blew through it and the bats blew through it. We came to purchase the Mill because some Christian friends asked us to help them find a building in Emlenton for a coffee house. When Nancy prayed about it she felt the Lord tell her to buy the Mill. We had been living just outside Emlenton for five years and our former house in Murrysville had been on the market all that time. Miraculously, a buyer appeared with cash just in time to provide the funds to purchase the Mill. It was one of the first of many miracles connected with the Mill.
This is another Mill brochure circa 1989.
This is a 1989 brochure for the mill designed by Mrs. Stump. Note the 412 area code and the mention of the Barnard House bed and breakfast. Mrs. Stump also did the sketch of the Mill.
Renee Gendreau writing for the New Castle News in 11/7/1989 says: The area around the Mill, located on the banks of the Allegheny River, is also starting to regenerate. A bed and breakfast has located behind the Mill and houses and stores in the neighborhood are sprucing up and repainting. “We’re still looking for a sit down restaurant and an outfitters” Mrs Stump said of the area that “people have said it looks like a little Christmas village.” Built in 1875 the mill was powered by gas heated steam and was operated by Terwilliger since 1947. Terwilliger shipped grain all over the world until operations ceased in 1974. In the 19th century, millers were called masters and looked upon as leaders in their communities with knowledge in areas as diverse as engineering and food storage. Mills, where people had to go for their grain, lumber and cloth, were gathering places for news, commerce or even romance.
Source: The New Castle News 11/7/1989
Renee Gendreau writing for the New Castle News in 11/7/1989 says: It was when Terwilliger began to realize that he may have to give up the Mill because of high upkeep cost that Mrs. Stump jumped in. A former English teacher at Youngstown State University. Mrs. Stump had researched the history of the Mill and thought it would be a great place for tours or offices. Somehow, though the office idea got lost along the wayside and Stump and Terwilliger , along with other stockholders, decided to turn the Mill into a co-operative with hand crafters leasing space to sell their wares. Currently ten people lease space on the Mill’s first floor with the second floor being dedicated to antiques. Those involved in the co-op are required to work three days out of every 27 days. The owners also give historical tours of the Mill, explaining to visitors the significance of each of the original pieces of machinery in the Mill.
Source: The New Castle News 11/7/1989
Renee Gendreau writing for the New Castle News in 11/7/1989 says: In the Summer of 1988, Bill Stump and Eugene “Twig” Terwilliger were the proud owners of a grist mill in Emlenton filled with such things as 200 gallons of rotted molasses with rats embalmed in it, pigeons, moldy grain, cobwebs and chickens. This summer, the Old Emlenton Mill Co. opened as a five story history book of shops featuring everything from hand painted replicas of the Mill and Victorian band boxes filled with candles, soaps and coffee to Radison canoes and small wooden furniture. “Bill’s still cleaning the place” said Martha Stump, Bill’s wife who helps with the “fun stuff” – public relations, tours and renting spaces. “The Mill’s like a hungry baby”. Terwilliger, Venango county’s last miller, met Stump, who also runs Calibration Services in Edinburg, as a customer of Twig’s Old Time Hardware Store, located next to the Mill.
Source: The New Castle News 11/7/1989
Lawrence Sanata writing for the Herald 8/25/1989 says: Twig still operates the hardware store outside the Mill (Main Street storefront Emco Mills) Don’t let the appearance, cluttered as it is, fool you, Stump noted, Terwilliger knows where almost everything is. Weeks were spent cleaning the Mill. Among the items carted out of the building were about 200 tons of molded feed, and 80 dump truck loads of broken appliances- “Twig does handy jobs around town- and he’s cheap.” Stump said. After convincing the local rodent population to look elsewhere for shelter, the owners began renovating the interior. That included placing new structural supports in some parts of the building. Today the Mill is home to a delicatessen, hardware store and 14 shops, selling everything from candles to canoes, and potpourri to pumper’s chairs.
Source: Herald 8/25/1989
Lawrence Sanata writing for the Herald 8/25/1989 says: Eugene Terwilliger, “Twig”, had contemplated tearing down the towering Mill because of problems securing and paying insurance on the structure. (I’ve heard he had an Amish crew lined up to do the job) Terwilliger was the last in a long line of “millers”, the name given to Mill operators. He operated the Mill from 1947 to 1974. At one time, millers were the most influential members of the community, overseeing the most important industry in some towns. If not one of the most influential, he remains one of the most colorful. Troubled about the possibility of the Mill being torn down, Bill Stump, another long time Emlenton resident and businessman, teamed up with Twig. Together, they and some others transformed the old business into a new venture.
Source: Herald 8/25/1989
Lawrence Sanata writing for the Herald 8/25/1989 says: Tucked deep inside a cavernous valley with the Allegheny river at the bottom, sets a tiny community that was made famous by millionaires and millers. Today, a new generation of merchants is making a go of it. Long before highways crisscrossed western Pennsylvania, a drive through Emlenton was a necessity for some travelers and a delight for the merchants there. Construction of I80 changed all that, taking some of the luster from the once stately town. Today, Emlenton is best known for the incredibly high bridge on the nearby interstate. But an enterprising and enthusiastic group of people, some from this area, is hoping to steer people back into the tiny town by transforming the historic old Emlenton Mill into a retail center. Just a few years ago, the five story Mill that was built in 1875 and is boasted as America’s first steam powered intact grist Mill was a shabby looking place.
Source: Herald 8/25/1989
More pictures of the Mill from the 7/11/1989 article in the News Harald of Franklin. Mrs. Stump said in a 7/15/89 article that that the Mill was a prototype gas powered grist Mill. She said it took a year to clean it up and renovate the Mill. She also said that the Mill closed in 1978 and was about to be torn down in 1988 when they convinced Twig it could be reopened. The copper sign below was from the Miller’s house.
The Emlenton Mill 