It's hard to know where to begin! The Mill's 1928 Studebaker engine returned to life, with demonstrations for volunteers and donors, antique car enthusiasts, and Walktober participants. Hurrah for the Mystic Seaport volunteers who completed the miraculous transformation of the engine which had been rusting, exposed to the elements for about four decades. And immense thanks specifically to Nate, Scott, Bob, Jim, Jack, Carl, Andy, the Studebaker National Foundation, and others who participated, supported, and generally cheered on the engine's return to operational condition. It was great fun to share the engine at the Mystic Seaport Antique Vehicle Show in September, and to welcome the Mystic Seaport Antique Vehicle Tour to the Mill.
(Left photo) Mystic Seaport Antique Vehicle Tour arrives at Chamberlin Mill, September 25.
(Right Photo) Nate Rosebrooks, lead volunteer for the Studebaker engine project, fires up the Straight-Eight at an early September celebration for donors and volunteers.
Andy Quigley, our detective-researcher-sawmill authority extraordinaire, tracked down a grist mill stone original to the Chamberlin site, which had passed through several hands since it left the Chamberlin family in the 1990s. Its new and very generous owner, Tom Campbell of Old Wood Workshop in Pomfret, CT, has donated the 54" diameter mill stone to our effort. It will give us a good vehicle for telling about the early history of the site. The newly formed interpretation group is busy thinking ahead to the day when the grist mill stone will be part of public exhibition space at the Mill.
Volunteers Andy Quigley and Nate Rosebrooks measure grist mill stone.
The Woodstock Education Foundation shone a spotlight on the Mill this year, making it the subject of the Foundation's 2015 holiday pewter ornament. Part of a series depicting Woodstock landmarks, the Chamberlin ornament will support the work of the non-profit Woodstock Educational Foundation. Ornaments in the series are available from the Woodstock Education Foundation (woodstockeducationfoundation@gmail.com) at $12 apiece.
Thank you to Rich Roberts, you can now follow and keep up with Chamberlin Mill on Facebook (www.facebook.com/chamberlinmill). Also, the Mill has been included in the recently organized Connecticut Industrial Trail List (http://www.slideshare.net/Billhosley/connecticut-industrial-trail-list-and-site-profiles-by-william-hosley).
And of course our work would be nowhere without funding. We thank the Putnam Rotary Club and Charter Oak Bank, which have joined our growing list of local business supporters. We also thank the dedicated Friends of Chamberlin Mill who have generously responded to our end-of-year appeal. And we are are grateful beyond measure for the continuing support of Summer Hill Foundation. Together these supporters have put us in a good position to undertake timber-framing restoration in 2016.
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