Again, not too far away from our home here in Reading, Pa. is this very old Mill that has been around for a little more than 300 yrs. Originally the first Mill was built in 1725 by Johann Heinrich Kersten. The 2nd Mill was built in 1841. There is really not a whole lot of information about this Mill other than what I’ve stated. Since there are a number of old Mills around this area, I would assume that they were used for the grinding of corn into flour or storage of food grown on the many farms that were around the area.
Since I do enjoy snooping around in Historic places, I’m always on the lookout for something new to see and photograph. Up till now, I never really knew about this place, until hearing about it from a mutual friend that I’ve known for awhile. Once I found out about it, I took a drive around to see if I could find it. I was told where it was, but still had a bit of trouble seeing it from the road. I drove right past it once. Had to turn around and take a look for the second time. Reason why I missed it the first time, is that there are some trees off to the right of the picture that block the old Mill from sight.
I shot a few images of the place from different angles. The large pond that you see is the Mill pond that was once used to power the tools in the Mill. There is also a culvert at the other end of the pond where the water entered to power the wheel that would drive the equipment.
Using my 28-210 Phoenix Telephoto Lens I took this shot getting a bit closer. There is a reason that I didn’t walk around the property. I noticed that there appeared to be no one around the area, except for a dog barking in the near distance. I didn’t want to take a chance on getting yelled at, a shotgun pointed at me, or getting bit by that dog. I learned awhile back about being on property where you are not wanted. You learn real fast!
Located right next to the Mill, is this old cement bridge that was once used to carry railroad tracks over the water exit from the Mill pond. I found out about this from another friend who knows the area quite well. Back in the early 1900’s the City of Reading had a Trolley Line that ran right thru here. Look close and you can still see where the tracks were and then lead into the distance to a point I don’t know about.
Berks County and the surrounding area is just loaded with Historic places that I’ve visited and photographed. Hope you enjoy reading.
PHOTOJOURNAL OF CORKER2 