Claire Sibley
A unique collaboration between the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) at Penn Engineering and the Morris Arboretum & Gardens is harnessing innovation to resurrect a piece of Penn and Philadelphia history: Springfield Mills.
Dating back to 1761, the mill sits on the Wissahickon Creek—which originally powered the mill by water—and offers a compelling glimpse into the agricultural and engineering landscape of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
Springfield Mills stands out as the most complete inventory of original gristmill works and related machinery in the area, with only four remaining mills in the Wissahickon. The three-and-a-half-story mill served multiple functions, including sawing timber, grinding corn into flour, and pumping water for field irrigation.
THE MILL’S LEGACY AND RESTORATION
In the early 2000s, the Run-of-the-Mill volunteers—a dedicated group including engineers and employees of the Morris—worked to restore the mill back to functionality.
The volunteers and staff developed a public tour and handled all necessary maintenance, allowing the Morris to host demonstration days, giving visitors an immersive experience with the century-old machinery that allowed the millers to grind grain and corn to flour. When running, the mill hums with the steady sounds of shaking sieves, grain elevators, the rumbling of gears, and the grinding of millstones. “When you see it and what it captures, you’re like, ‘This is the most incredible thing ever,’” explains Bryan Thompson-Nowak, director of education at the Morris.
These demonstrations go beyond mere mechanical display. “Obviously, the physics of it is captivating, but the message we want to get across is that the flour you get doesn’t magically appear,” Thompson-Nowak says. “We try to make this a full experience.”