Mill at Anselma

Samuel Lightfoot was born in northern Ireland in 1701 into a Quaker family. He received training, and served an apprenticeship as a land surveyor there. He came to America in 1716, and settled in this area in 1725 with his wife Mary and four sons. Samuel Lightfoot owned over 1,000 acres in Pennsylvania, including 500 acres in Pikeland. Pikeland area farmers requested that Samuel build a grist mill in order to provide feed and grain to the local community. He had a grist mill built c. 1747 on a 250 acre parcel that he had given to his son William. William was the first Lightfoot to act as miller. William’s son Samuel inherited the mill property and held it until it was sold in1812.

Samuel Lightfoot (grandson of the founder) conveyed the property containing the mill and house to Lewis Rees and James Benson, Rees’ nephew. There is no record in either grantee or grantor indexes of this conveyance, but there is an image of the deed, stating it was recorded on 19 November 1812, in West Chester, Deed Book BA3, Vol. 49, pg. 80. At the time of purchase, the deed states that Lewis Rees was living in Reading, and the address for James Benson was Maiden Creek Township, both in Berks County. Rees and Benson applied for a tavern license while owning the mill at Cambria since the Conestoga Turnpike was a well-traveled road. They were turned down for this license, although they had many respected men from the area vouch for their credibility. March 18, 1822 ~ Lewis Rees and James Benson sold the property containing the mill and house to Rees Sheneman, Deed Book R-3, Page 504. Lewis Rees was a land developer and is credited with starting the town of Pottsville, PA along with Isaac Thomas.

Rees Sheneman acquired the property in 1820, and it stayed in his family for three generations, with son Ben and grandson Jonas, until 1859. During that time, technological improvements were made in the mill with the addition of the Oliver Evans elevator system, bolter, and scourer, as well as the addition of a 2nd floor door for the mill, and the addition of a wagon barn.

Elias Oberholtzer purchased the house and mill from Jones Sheneman in 1859, and put his son John in charge of John “Oberholtzer Mills”, later named “Willowdale Mill”. John worked with other local businessmen to develop multiple businesses in the area and ultimately to get a branch of the Pickering Valley Railroad established to serve the community. He added a general store, warehouse, and commercial ice house. Injured during an accident with the water wheel, he built the current Miller’s House for workers who took over operation of the mill. He sold off the older, larger house and barn, and moved to Norristown. John’s wife Sara was a poet and author of note. She was politically active as well.

Allen Simmers bought the property in 1886. He replaced the wooden sluiceway with cast iron, and the wooden waterwheel with steel, and he added a cider press to the North side of the mill.

Oliver Collins purchased the property in 1919. He added a saw mill, and a boat house on the mill pond. He was a “country mechanic” - repairing equipment, sharpening blades, and operating the cider press through the Depression. He took the test required to be a postmaster, which led to the post office being in a lean-to attached to his house.

A pioneer in using conservation easements to save open space, Eleanor Morris (1919-2011) and her husband, Rep. Samuel Morris founded the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust in 1983. They worked to start the efforts to preserve the property until The Mill at Anselma Preservation and Educational Trust Incorporated was formed in 1998.

The village of Anselma developed around the mill as other businesses were added to the area, as well as a school, post office, and train station.

Oliver Collins had a wide variety of machinery and equipment that he put together and used for the many ways he tried to make a living. He was innovative, talented and resourceful, making use of the power train in the mill to operate machinery.

Slides from the Hagley Museum Collection - 1972

Established in 1872, the Pickering Valley Railroad was a spur of the Reading Railroad between Phoenixville and Byers, PA that connected to Philadelphia. Originally the location of the station was created at the general store, and called Cambria Station, but that conflicted with another Cambria in the Pittsburgh area, so the village was renamed Anselma.

Collection of presentations prepared regarding the mill and its history for use in providing tours and sharing information.

Built circa 1900

The mill is the only colonial, operational grist mill in the country individually listed as a National Historic Landmark. It retains its original horizontal power train while incorporating improvements in technology that developed over the centuries.

The current Miller’s House was built in 1873 as a residence for mill workers. It was subsequently occupied by owners Allen Simmers and Oliver Collins and their families until 1982.

The spring house acts as a resource for drinking water, as well as refrigeration space for perishable food.

The wagon barn (current Visitors Center) was built during the ownership of Rees Sheneman in the mid 1800s.