Morningstar Mill

We weren’t able to outpace the onset of cold weather this year, but we’ll only need about two more weeks to finish up the remaining mortar work once the temperatures warm up in the spring. We’re excited to welcome everyone back next season!

Some photos from earlier this week…

Most noticeably this week, almost all the scaffolding has now been taken down. There is just one tower left beside the front of the mill for the final electrical connections. The construction to-do list is getting smaller!

To access the bottom of the Falls, Wilson Morningstar built a spiral staircase [1] ‘around a huge tree that grew from the floor of the ravine to the ground level above.’ It was in operation from about 1890 to 1910. For more info, please see facebook.com/morningstar.mi…

This week, the Morningstar sign was reinstalled on the front of the mill! It was a relatively small task in the grand scheme of things, but visually, it meant a lot to see it back in place. The penstock was epoxy coated and the scaffolding was removed from the house.

When the Morningstar’s house was first built, it did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. Another modern convenience the family lacked was a refrigerator. For more info, please see facebook.com/morningstar.mi…

All the exterior replacement stone for the mill finally arrived and has been installed! Pointing and ribboning around these stones will be finished next week 😊

Around 1895, when the Morningstar’s house was first built, it also didn't have indoor plumbing – there were no taps in the house! Drinking water came from a well, while rainwater, collected in a cistern, was used for cleaning and washing. For more... see facebook.com/morningstar.mi…

Good news…the stone masons were back on site this week and continued their work on the mill and the new viewing platform. The new eavestroughs for the house were also installed. The fall colours at the mill were still vibrant this week.

The sugar maples are glowing brilliant red, happy Thanksgiving weekend! The Mill still remains closed for restoration - more construction updates next week.

With the days getting cooler, we start thinking about when to turn on the heat… When the Morningstar house was built in 1895, it was equipped with 4 stoves: one wood-fired cooking stove in the kitchen and three heating stoves...For more info, please see facebook.com/morningstar.mi…

It has been another a quiet week, with progress held up as we continue to wait for the last of the stone for the mill and stairs to arrive. In the meantime, if you are interested in how Wilson Morningstar wired his home for electricity, please see facebook.com/morningstar.mi…

It’s been a very quiet week, with progress held up as we wait for the last of the stone arrive. All this waiting brings to mind Emma Morningstar who patiently waited almost 12 years before the promise of a new house became reality... facebook.com/morningstar.mi…

This week’s work focused once again on the house. With the scaffolding in place, all the final green trim painting was completed. The stone wall along the driveway at the back of the house was reinstalled, and sodding around the house has begun.

We are getting there! The horizontal penstock has been welded to the vertical penstock in the turbine shed. The cable connecting to the sluice gate (metal plate) that is raised when we are milling, has been reattached to the crank and drum inside the mill.

This week we prepared for the installation of the new penstock. The ‘T’ section of the old penstock – where the horizontal pipe connects to the vertical pipe beneath the turbine shed floor – was removed. The new ‘T’ (photo 5) will be welded onto the vertical penstock.

This week, pointing and wall restoration continued on the mill (with the scaffolding on the west and south sides of the mill taken down today). The fence along the gorge was completed, new sod was laid around the blacksmith shop, and the grounds around the house were graded.

The focus this week has been on the replacement stonework on the northwest corner of the mill. This section required extensive remediation with some of the new stones weighing over 600 lbs. The fence along the gorge and behind the house is also nearly complete.

Construction is progressing well, with the sawmill and house now nearly complete and the new fence installation coming along nicely. The masons are continuing their work on the mill—notice the new sills and lintels on the south and east facades!

There was a lot of activity this week. The masons continue their restoration work on the mill. The sawmill was primed white earlier this week, and has now been painted barn red again. The fence posts for the new fencing have been positioned along the gorge and house.