Old Schwamb Mill — Attraction in Arlington

This is a gem of a find if you find yourself in that area and have time to spare. It’s a lovely place with really cool history and it is still an active mill today! It is a quiet place and for some reason it makes me think of Scooby Doo. Why would the Old Schwamb Mill make me think of that?

We arrived to find a note that said ring the door bell and when we did a quant bell rang on the door. The host opened the door and we were lucky enough to arrive just as the tour was about to start. We first visited the office and then we toured the mill.

I don’t want to give away too much because I knew nothing about that place when I arrived and I had a lot of fun learning, especially with my imagination. My favorite room is the glue room. I feel that I should have my own room dedicated to glue like this one. Maybe after 150 years of use it would be as cool as their glue room.

Almost everything in that Mill is from the late 1800s and is still used today and it’s complete. They still have the original paperwork, work orders, and probably a few hospital bills too. Even the walls have stories to tell. There is a quant art gallery upstairs featuring local artists and showcasing what the mill produces. I recommend reading the walls in the gallery.

It is an old building and there were numerous places where I could see the rooms below through the holes in the floorboards. So watch where you walk, especially in the glue room. Also, little kids who like to press buttons or touch things could get hurt. Not a good place for active kids.

We had a great tour guide and we met some lovely people on the tour. It’s really a great way to spend an hour or so. I’m glad we stopped.

So, now I know what happens at the Old...

Old Schwamb Mill, site circa 1650, current complete structure c. 1861.

Old Schwamb Mill is the nations oldest continuously operating mill site.. Originally a gristmill, this has been a workingplace since 1650. Its documented history of operation dates back to about 1684. It was bought by Charles & Frederick Schwamb, two brothers from Rhinehessen, Germany, in 1864 when it would become an Oval Photo Frame shop. They set up this state-of-the-art woodworking shop, combining water power from the Mill Brook with an 18 foot diameter water wheel & a belt-driven pulley-operated system of machines to produce the highest quality oval & circular frames.

During the Civil War era, photography became extremely popular as many families wanted portraits of their loved ones who may never return. A particular favourite of many clients was a rich black Walnut oval frame. with delicate gold leafed liner. Schwamb Mill frames hung in hundreds of thousands of American mansions, farmhouses, &even lonely prairie sod huts. this original collection of Moulding knives dating back to 1870 was curated by the Smithsonian; they were so impressed they even tried to purchase them !

the Mill has been listed in the National Register of Historic...

This is a fascinating historical place now owned and operated by a non-profit dedicated to preserving the 19th century buildings, machinery, skills, business records and sense of place. As a bonus, the mill contains a small art gallery and hosts musical performances and gallery and...