Take a Trip to the Past

at the Joel Hill Sawmill and Thomas Cleveland Museum

EQUINUNK, PA — A scenic drive along rural Route 191 in Northern Wayne County, Pennsylvania will bring explorers of local history to the past at the Joel Hill Sawmill and Thomas Cleveland Museum on Duck Harbor Road in Equinunk.

The Joel Hill Sawmill is a working Civil War era waterpowered sawmill owned and managed by the Equinunk Historical Society. Donated to the society in 1988, it was restored to operating condition and has since offered a schedule of tours to demonstrate the sawing of logs into boards the old-fashioned way-with the power of running water. Alongside the mill, The Thomas Cleveland Museum features a collection of vintage wood and metal machinery. Some pieces are powered by a restored 1942 Case tractor, named “Darla.”

The sawmill was built just after the Civil War by William Holbert and J. D. Branning. In 1898 Joel Hill bought the mill from the Holbert family along with 1,500 acres of forested land and the 250- acre pond known as Duck Harbor Pond. The traditional water wheel which powered the mill was destroyed In the historic Pumpkin Flood of 1903 but was replaced with a turbine and was back in operation by 1905.

The mill remained in operation until 1974. Then in 1988 it was donated to the Equinunk Historical Society by the Harcum family. On July 2, 1994, the first board was sawed at the restored mill.

Visitors are guided through the laborious and dangerous process of 19th century lumber making during public tours. Volunteers work yearround to keep the mill operational. In addition, items such as bird houses are crafted from the lumber sawed at the mill and sold at the Calder House Gift Shop in Equinunk to benefit the mill and museum.

In the old days, before the construction of Kellam’s Bridge (in 1889) and later the Erie Railroad, lumber floated down the Delaware River on rafts. Lumber from the Hill Sawmill was put into the river at Lordville or Hankins, NY, then drifted to Easton, PA, Trenton, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA. Workers guided the rafts from the banks of the river all along the way.

Accounts of the time say that when the rafts reached their destination, the raft hands were paid. Then Mr. Hill would buy a horse for the journey back home, but the raftsmen had to walk and work their way home. These stories and others bring the past alive as visitors are shown the intricate operation of the sawmill.

The Thomas Cleveland Museum was made possible through the donation of antique and traditional machinery by Thomas Cleveland. Various old-time machines such as saws, lathes, a drill press, and a four-side planer are contained in the collection. There is a foot-operated lure-making punch press and a bone grinder, which was manufactured in the late 1800s and used to grind bones which would be added to chicken feed to add calcium to the chicken’s diet. The collection also includes numerous hand tools which are hung on the museum’s walls.

~ by Kristin Barron

See a working Civil War era water-powered sawmill in operation at the Joel Hill Sawmill and see demonstrations of antique machinery at the Thomas Cleveland Museum. Tour reservations required.

 Tour Schedule

Joel Hill Sawmill and Cleveland Museum will have tours on July 8th and 9th, August 12th and 13th and October 7th, by reservation only. Saturday tours are at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and the Sunday tour is at 1:00 p.m. only.

Call Greg at 570-798-2420 to reserve a spot.