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Weekly News October 17, 2016Description
When the Greenbank Mill Burned Down: In 1964, two years before the Wilmington & Western Railroad started operation, Historic Red Clay Valley, Inc. (HRCV) bought from Wilmington attorney Saul Cohen the historic Greenbank Grist Mill, built by Robert Philips about 1790. Part of the vast Darlington Flinn property around Greenbank and Price’s Corner, Cohen had acquired it, along with a lot more, in the course of settling Flinn’s estate. John K. Walters, who lived in the Philips Farmhouse adjacent, was the agent in the deal. The price was $10,000 including 1.7 acres, which was later augmented by about 7 acres more upstream without additional charge. HRCV insured the mill for $10,000 immediately.
The longtime miller, J. Roy Magargal, who had operated the mill for previous owners John MacDonald and Darlington Flinn, was invited to stay on rent-free to continue his diminishing trade. He kept the mill race functional by patching the dams in Red Clay Creek and maintained the penstock and water turbines that turned the grinding burrs and the line shafts. He taught several HRCV volunteers something about the miller’s trade. In 1967, a foot bridge was built across Red Clay Creek, connecting the parking lot for the Wilmington & Western with the mill, and the latter was open for tours on days when the trains were running.
About 5:00 A.M. on a humid August morning in 1969, the phone rang at Auburn Heights. It was Mrs. Walters advising me that the mill was ablaze, and the fire companies were on their way. When I arrived at the scene in early morning, the frame portion was leveled, it was very damp everywhere, and heavy white smoke was still rising from the ruins. The stone-walled Madison factory, attached to the frame mill, was standing but without a roof. Within days, it was determined to be arson, and the young delinquents responsible had been identified. HRCV volunteers, with help from Roy Magargal and the community, started the long process of cleaning up the debris. The HRCV Board of Directors was unanimous in wanting to rebuild the mill.
An Amish contractor, Aaron Lapp, was engaged to rebuild the frame structure, and he and his crew did an outstanding job for $10,000, the amount of HRCV’s insurance proceeds. Aaron lived near Gap, Pennsylvania, but he did not drive motorized vehicles, so someone from the Mill Committee of HRCV had to transport him and his assistants twice a day. Most of these trips were made by Don Cook, then secretary of HCRV and active with the mill before the fire. At the conclusion of Lapp’s work, a new roof was in place, and the interior frame section was rebuilt and secured. Nothing was done with the stone walls of the Madison factory; they were later believed to be unsafe, and about 1973 they were torn down. Roy Magargal set up shop again in the rebuilt section, and he was a good caretaker, but the grinding burrs never turned again in his lifetime. He sold grain and other products purchased elsewhere. His favorite watchdog was in charge during the night.
The arsonists, mostly between the ages of 17 and 20 and led by a ring leader, were brought to trial. The trial illustrated the justice system at its worst. I watched the accused intimidate the jury in the courtroom. The ring leader sat in the courtroom, his eyes on the jury box, and he continued to sketch likenesses of the jury members. I went to lunch at the cafeteria in the basement of the Hotel DuPont, and the defendants were there, too. They joked and were having a grand time. They had no thought of being convicted, and indeed they were not.
Despite the progress made in rebuilding, after the fire the Mill Committee of HRCV never regained their prior enthusiasm. Roy Magargal died early in 1972, and the building lay vacant much of the time. Soon it was vandalized inside and out. The politicians decided to rebuild Greenbank Road, removing the foot bridge between the parking lot and the mill in order to make room for the new highway bridge. Finally Senator Margaret R. “Meg” Manning, a neighbor who was on the HRCV Board, took the “bull by the horns” and determined to do something to preserve the historic building. With her political connections, she got a small amount of state money and a lot of local enthusiasm, and improvements were soon evident. In the early 1980s, as HRCV was engaged in purchasing the former Landenberg Branch of the B & O Railroad, the Greenbank Mill Associates was formed, and title to the mill was transferred to the new organization. It was a great step forward for both organizations.
Work Report: On Tuesday, October 11, 18 volunteers were on hand, as follows: Mark Bodenstab (in charge), Mike Appleby, Matt Appleby, Steve Bryce, Mike Ciosek, Dennis Dragon, Bob Jordan, Bob Koury, Dave Leon, Jerry Lucas, Tom Marshall, Brent McDougall, Matt Richard, Tom Sandbrook, John Schubel, Neal Sobocinski, Bob Stransky, and Dennis Tiley.
The leaking sight glass on Locomotive 402 was found to be cracked, so a new one will be cut to length and installed before October 30. Switch ties were inspected for length, and one of the couplers on a passenger car was repaired. Sections of the track on the Lionel train layout were re-worked for better uniform contact when the trains are running. The brake lights are about completed on the ’37 Packard.
The Mountain Wagon was prepped for its 40-mile run on October 16. More fittings were connected in the new boiler now in the Model 87. A new pilot for the Model 735 was tested while connected to the pilot system on the Mountain Wagon, and many leaking joints were repaired.
On Wednesday afternoon, October 12, five volunteers showed up, viz: Richard Bernard (in charge), Tom Marshall, Bill Schwoebel, Dave Leon, and Jeff Kennard.
The pilot for the 735 was tested again, and lengthy attempts were made to fit it into the burner on the car. The pilot casting of unknown origin is too wide to fit properly, so more modification is required if this pilot is to be used in the 735. The Model 740 was prepped for its run on October 16.
Using 8” cutting discs, most of the tubes were cut away from the heads of the old Model 87 boiler to be scrapped. The interior of this boiler was very dirty and full of built-up “mud” after nearly 20 years of service.
On Thursday, October 13, 14 volunteers were working, including two in the afternoon: Jerry Novak (in charge), Devon Hall, Neal Sobocinski, Mark Russell, Bob Jordan, Tim Ward, Steve Bryce, Ted Kamen, Jim Personti, Geoff Fallows, Lou Mandich, Bill Schwoebel, Bob Koury, and Tom Marshall.
In the afternoon, the boiler on Locomotive 401 was washed, the tender was drained, and all were left dry for dismantling. At the evening session, everything was “cut loose” and made ready for lifting the boiler off the frame. We are highly pleased that the mechanical restoration of this locomotive is now beginning. The Model 725 Stanley, the Model T Ford, and the ’32 Packard were prepped for the 40-mile end-of-season trip on October 16.
The last tubes were removed from the old boiler from the Model 87. The directional signal wiring was completed on the ’37 Packard, and the turn signals are working. On the Model H-5, seven rounds of new packing were installed at the flexible joint in the steam pipe, and the whistle was hooked up. Our new fireproof cabinet, purchased for us by Delaware State Parks, was located under the open shed, had its shelves leveled, and most of our flammable materials were stored therein. This includes hexane, gasoline, solvents, and paint-spray cans.
On Sunday, October 16, a gorgeous fall day in Delaware and neighboring Pennsylvania, about 50 volunteers (including family members) enjoyed the hospitality of Irenee and Barbara du Pont at their Granogue estate, with a demonstration of their Aeolian Organ and a climb to the top of the Granogue water tower. Seven cars from the FAHP collection made a 40-mile trip successfully, culminating with a complimentary lunch for 45 of us at Perkins Restaurant near Avondale. Lou Mandich provided the water stop for five steamers at his Last Chance Garage in Unionville. Thanks and congratulations to all.
