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Black Dam
Newlin Grist Mill
213 S. Cheyney Road / location estimated
“The wheat left over after planting in the fall was hauled to Samuel Hill’s Mill, at Markham, to be ground into flour for Mother to use in baking and into bran for cattle feed. Many other trips were made to Hill’s Mill during the year with corn to be ground into corn meal and to be cracked for chicken feed” (Hannum, p. 50).
The Black Dam is referenced many times in Place, Memory and Time: Essays Commemorating the Tricentennial of the Nathaniel Newlin Grist Mill 1704-2004. It is noted as the Mill’s primary dam comprised of dark quarried stones (Woodfin, p. 65). The Newlin Grist Mill only has two dams on their records: the Black Dam and a secondary, smaller dam on the West Branch. While the 1924 photograph is not overtly clear, the dam seems to be in the lower right-hand corner, with Hannum standing above the dam.
The Black Dam is still in use today and is a sight enjoyed by many who hike the scenic trails or cross the stone pathway across the creek.
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