Somerset Roller Mills
The Somerset Roller Mills, also known as the Jacobs Creek Grist Mill, are a small former gristmill complex, originally built in the early 18th century, in Titusville, New Jersey.
Somerset Roller Mills | |
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| Location | 1200 Daniel Bray Highway, Titusville, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates | 40°16′43.7″N 74°51′12.7″W |
| Area | about 12 acres (4.9 ha) |
| Built | 18th–19th centuries |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001171 |
| NJRHP No. | 1699[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 19, 1974 |
| Designated NJRHP | July 1, 1974 |
History
Tradition holds that Isaac Smith received a 1,000 acres (400 ha) land grant in 1726 from the English Crown. It is thought that shortly thereafter he built the first house and mill on the site, shipping processed grain down the river to Philadelphia. It is probable that the mill provided flour to the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The opening of the Delaware and Raritan Canal next to the mill in 1834 greatly improved its business, leading to its expansion in the 1840s. The mill continued in operation until the early Depression by which point modern automated mill technology rendered its manual operations obsolete. The mill documents the beginnings, development, and decline of a pre-20th century rural manufacturing process.[2]
References
- "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places — Mercer County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Historic Preservation Office. January 22, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2013.
- Greiff, Constance; Carter, Annette (March 1974). "Somerset Roller Mills". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
