The History, Essence Of America Runs Through Pottstown's Roller Mill

POTTSTOWN, PA — One of the oldest mills in the United States sits just off the banks of the Schuylkill River in Pottstown. It's history is the story of America itself.

The Pottstown Roller Mill was built at the intersection of South and Hanover streets in 1725, in the fledgling years of what would become a new nation.

It's uncertain exactly who built the mill, but it wound up in the hands of an English quaker, businessman, and judge named John Potts. In 1752, Potts purchased some thousand acres of land — land that had been deeded to William Penn — where Manatawny Creek spilled into the Schuylkill River.

It was the land that would become Pottstown. And at its center was the mill.

Potts died in 1768, leaving behind a growing region. And it didn't take long for the mill to play a crucial role in the developing nation.

Independence was declared in 1776, and a year later, when George Washington's Continental Army stopped over in Valley Forge, the mill was a major supplier of grain and flour to the soldiers, according to the National Register of Historic Places and the Historical Society of Pottstown.

As America booned and grew in the postwar years, so too did the mill grow. A major addition was placed on the stone structure in the 1850s, adding another two stories to the original mill, effectively doubling its size and capabilities. Experts praised its originality and power.

"Both the building and its machinery are an excellent example of the ingenuity and technical know-how of early American industrial pioneers," the National Register of Historic Places said. "The building could serve as a musuem, demonstrating the use and techniques of many simple machines."

The mill was owned during the Civil War period by Jesse Ives, a prominent abolitionist and anti-slavery activist. Ives was among those who helped turn the mill and several nearby homes into important stops on the Underground Railroad as slaves sought to escape to the north.

"The fugitive slaves would race from Chester County, their first stop after crossing the Mason-Dixon Line, across the bridge (over the Schuylkill River) and into the Ives home," according to records of the nearby Pine Forge Academy compiled by the Columbian Visitor. Ives was assisted by his daughter, Mary Anna Ives, and her husband, Charles Rutter, another prominent area businessman and abolitionist.

After serving the region and causes most crucial to the survival of the nation, the mill remained in use for over another century.

While the mill is preserved, it is not open to the public. The original structure was enshrined in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. However, the business still exists at 625 Industrial Highway.